Welcome to Paradise
by GrimLoki
Summary: Oneshots.angels growing up in Heaven up until the day Castiel meets Dean. young!angels. lots of WINGS!sure doses of fluff and angst! no pairings!...just angels with mentions of Winchester. T just to be safe..."Chapter 9; Azire"
1. The Angel with Ebony Wings

**So this was originally just part of my Feather Effect Oneshots but I've been inspired to write more Heaven based, young!angel stories. ^-^. So I'm creating this series of oneshots based on the angels in heaven growing up. **

**I really hope you enjoy. **

**Plot****: Castiel is a young angel and is being teased because of his wings. Gabriel comes to the rescue and teaches Cas how to really fly…Silly fluff. If you don't like fluff, this chapter isn't important so you may skip. ^-^ If you do, however…Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own anything from Supernatural nor do I own Angels or Heaven or Hell. I don't own anything. **

**. . .**

**Chapter 1: The Angel with Ebony Wings:**

Gabriel knit his eyebrows as he walked into the training field. He darted his eyes around at all of the younger angels who were busy practicing in their flying lessons which Zachariah was teaching. He grinned as some of the angels flapped their wings to rise, only to fall moments later. There were colors of soft whites, blues, yellows and greens all around. He truthfully enjoyed seeing the colors of young angel's wings. Their feathers were so soft and the colors smooth and it felt nice on the eyes.

"Your wings are so stupid," a small voice said with disgust "You look silly…I bet even Lucifer's wings are prettier."

Gabriel darted his eyes around to find where the commotion was happening. Zachariah was busy helping up one of the angels who fell about 20 feet onto the grass so he didn't acknowledge anything.

"You can't even get off the ground…your being a baby," a female voice said with a giggle.

Gabriel found the culprits. He noticed three angels, each with their wings puffed out as they stood around another angel, who lay on the ground, his large sapphire eyes sparkling with tears ready to spill. His lower lip trembled and his wings tried to curl around him as the other angels poked and pulled at them.

"Hey!" Gabriel snapped, walking over and flaring out his large, arched golden wings that towered over all four of the angels.

The three small angels widened their eyes at him, each cowering down in fear and respect.

"What are your names?" Gabriel questioned, staring down at them with narrowed eyes.

An angel with red hair and soft pink wings spoke first "M-my name is Anael," she said in a soft voice, her green eyes not budging.

"I'm Uriel," the darker angel said, his light tan wings flaring with pride.

"Virgil," the third angel said, his light green wings twitching nervously.

Gabriel nodded at them "What is your problem with Castiel?" he questioned, staring down at them.

They were silent and each stared at the grass at their feet.

Castiel shrunk further into his wings, closing them tighter around his body to hide his face. He couldn't believe one of the archangels knew his name. His wings ached from where the others were pulling on the feathers and his small grace was working on healing them already. He heard silence and peered through a couple of his black and midnight blue feathers. He was made fun of all the time because they were darker than the others wings. He felt his cheeks redden when he noticed Archangel Gabriel's eyes on him.

Gabriel grinned at the little angel behind the long, dark wings. He had noticed this particular angel for years now because of his wings. They were not light like the others but dark with glowing blue through ebony. That was a true sign of a special angel…Castiel was going to grow up and be more powerful than all of the other young ones in the room.

"Answer me…why are you acting such a way to Castiel?" he questioned the other angels.

"His wings look weird," Uriel was the one who spoke. He dared to glance at the archangel.

Gabriel sighed and reached his hand out to grab Castiel's small hand. Castiel made a small whimpering sound as he was pulled to his feet, his wings uncovering his bright blue, frightened eyes.

"Don't," Gabriel said as he noticed the dark feathers going to curl around the angel again.

Castiel nodded and stared at the ground, not ready to disobey an order from the archangel "S-sorry, sir…"

"Just call me Gabriel," Gabriel said, smiling at the angel.

Castiel blushed and stared down at his feet.

"What is going on?" Zachariah's voice sounded, a slight tremor in it as he noticed Gabriel standing there.

"You need to teach these three little feathery children to be kind and respectful to an angel that will one day be more powerful than them all," Gabriel said, turning to Zachariah, who was nodding and staring at the three angels whose eyes were set on Castiel with wonder.

Zachariah blinked a few times and nodded to Castiel…most of the angels knew to protect Castiel because he would one day be the angel who would dive into Hell and pull the Righteous One from the Pit. They all knew he was the one the moment his wings grew in. It was known that when the angel with ebony wings was born, he would be the only one capable of pulling the righteous soul from perdition…so Castiel was very important to all angels.

Zachariah beckoned the other angels away and Castiel felt his grace twisting and turning nervously as the archangel stared at him.

"Come Castiel," he said with a smile, giving the small angel a pat on the back.

Castiel nodded and felt his face flush again to be staring at one of the archangels. He still couldn't get over that…he had heard about them so much but he never thought he would meet one...at least not for a very long time. Now he was walking with Archangel Gabriel, who knew his name.

Once they reached an empty area of the field, Gabriel stopped and turned to Castiel. He grinned and snapped his fingers, creating a blue lollipop into existence. He had created them before humans even knew they existed. Castiel stared at it with wide eyes, wanting to know what one tasted like. They were not allowed to have sweets or eat anything for that matter.

"Here," Gabriel said, unwrapping it and handing it to the small angel.

Castiel stared at it, his azure eyes widened and his wings twitching "I am not allowed sweets," he said.

"Just take it…I won't tell anyone if you won't," Gabriel said, popping another pop into his own mouth.

Castiel nodded and took the lollipop. He gently slid it into his mouth and his wings fluttered excitedly when he tasted it. It was so unique and so much better than he ever would have imagined.

Gabriel grinned at the excitement in the smaller angel "So Castiel…how are you doing with flying?"

Castiel blushed and looked down bashfully "I can't get very far," he said.

Gabriel smirked and got onto his knees to be at level with little Cas "Spread your wings, Castiel. I'll show you a little trick," he said, lollipop stick hanging out of his mouth.

Castiel nodded and let his deep ebony and blue encrusted wings stretch out as far as they could go. Gabriel smiled, noting how they were already larger and arched better than the others at this age. Castiel would be amazing at flying when he learned.

Castiel took a deep breath as he bit down on the lollipop. It broke into pieces and he began to chew them, his teeth hurting in the process. He jumped slightly when he felt Gabriel's hands reach out into his wings. His grace turned nervously again and he smiled at the archangel, who was grinning and moving feathers into certain directions.

"Alright, can you feel how those are positioned?" Gabriel asked, leaning back to stare into those blue eyes.

Castiel nodded, marking exactly how they were. They felt nice that way and for some reason, it felt right.

"Okay, now make sure you keep them like that when you give your first flap of wings," Gabriel said "Once you're in the air, move these ones to the right about four inches," he explained, touching the feathers towards them middle "that'll let you move to the left…when you want to fly to the right, just move them the opposite direction."

Castiel nodded in understanding.

"And when you land, pull these ones outward for a soft landing," Gabriel said, giving a slight pull on the longest feather on the top.

Castiel nodded again, blushing when Gabriel touched his wings again. It kind of tickled but he held back from giggling.

"Alright. Now go fly…I want to see this," Gabriel said, waving a hand as he sat on the grass.

Castiel dropped his wings and stared with wide, electric blue eyes. He did not want to practice in front of Gabriel…it was bad enough falling in front of the other angels.

"Gabriel," another voice said and Castiel gasped, almost falling over when Michael appeared to stand beside Gabriel. His wings were so glorious and glimmering in the sunlight. Castiel just stared in shock and awe at Archangel Michael.

"You're making Castiel nervous," Gabriel said to Michael, who spun around to stare into the enlarged blue eyes.

"My apologies," Michael said, taking a seat beside Gabriel.

"Castiel is going to fly right now…I just showed him the trick," Gabriel said to Michael, who smiled, knowing Castiel was going to be the one to rescue his vessel from Hell. He turned to Castiel, ready to see how well he did at such a young age.

Castiel shrunk back "I-I can't," he said, his heart hammering in his chest as two of the archangels watched him.

"It's okay, go on," Michael said, giving him a nod and smile.

Castiel then noticed how silent everything became and how many of the other angels were staring in their direction, each trying to get a glimpse of the archs. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting his wings expand, the ebony sparkling in sunlight. He positioned his feathers the way Gabriel had shown him and let out his breath as he soared up. He concentrated on the way Gabriel explained to him and he opened his eyes when he felt the breeze washing through his hair as he shot through the air.

He was flying…like really flying. He smiled as he began to speed up the wing movements, causing his body to soar above the other angels. Once he reached the other side, he made a quick turn to shoot back to where Gabriel and Michael were standing up, grinning.

"Oh yes, he will definitely fly in and out of Hell like its nothing," Michael said "Good job, Gabe," he said, giving the other archangel a pat on the shoulder before disappearing.

Gabriel grinned and shot up in the air, reaching the younger angel within seconds. Castiel was busy soaring around in circles, relaxing at the feel of the breeze through his hair and wings. Gabriel followed the movements, enjoying the slow pace. He would be there to help Castiel through it all.

. . .

**I really hope you enjoyed this. .**

**Please excuse my grammar mistakes and please leave reviews and/or comments. They would be awesome. **


	2. Save You

**Thank you for the reviews and alerts. ^-^. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It is very silly and very fluffy but kind of cute in a way.**

**Plot: ****Castiel and Balthazar meet after almost accidentally Falling from Heaven. **

**. . .**

**Chapter 2: Save You**

Castiel was naturally smaller than the other angels in his class. That did not mean his wings, which were larger than the others around him. In contrast, he seemed particularly unbalanced as his ebony and blue streaked wings were almost larger than his body. As much as he was teased about it, Castiel loved his wings; he was certainly much better at flying than the others but he didn't like to show that fact off. If anything, he kept his flying to a slow pace unless he was alone, soaring through the sky of the Heaven he loved to enjoy.

At the moment, he was walking through a different Heaven. This one appeared much like a The Grand Canyon; with a deep and large crater…this one didn't have a bottom, though. It was a place where an angel could Fall. Castiel still did not know what that meant but he was guessing that it was bad.

He stopped when he noticed a few other angels standing on the edge several feet away. He could tell from the colors of one set of wings, beaming in light purples and pinks, that it was Anael. She was standing beside Uriel, whose own wings were growing drastically in comparison to the others. His were not as long and arched as Castiel's but more wide and thick and the colors were starting to turn from the light tan to a red tinted mahogany. He and Anael were standing in front of another angel that Castiel hadn't recognized. He was a bit taller than the two before him and his hair was a deep golden color and his eyes were a soft blue…not as bright as Castiel's but still a nice color. His wings were soft colors of white, yellow and orange with hints of blue. It reminded Castiel of a sunset over the ocean.

"Come on," Uriel was saying, giving the other angel a shove "You can do it."

The other angel's eyes were slightly widened in fear and his wings twitched and flared to keep balance so he wouldn't fall over the edge. He shook his head "No, I'm not ready."

"You won't Fall…come on, just jump," Anael said with a mischievous grin on her young face.

"He said he doesn't want to go," Castiel said before he could stop himself. His stomach turned when the three sets of eyes landed on him.

"Aw look, it's the archangel's little pet," Uriel said with slight malice. Castiel wondered how an angel so young could sound so mean.

Castiel stood his ground and let his wings expand to their full extent. He wobbled slightly from their weight but remained composed as Uriel and Anael lifted their eyebrows, puffing out their own wings…they didn't reach quite as far as Castiel's, though.

"You just mind your own business," Anael said in a clipped voice as she turned back to the third angel, who was starting to slide between them. She grabbed onto his shoulders and gave him a heavy shove, using her wings to add force.

There was a yelp sound and Castiel's wings instantly shot into position as the taller angel fell backwards, his wings flapping furiously to try and catch him. Castiel let his full flight ability take over and he dove off of the edge, his long, ebony wings thrashing with force that sent him moving at a speed unknown to one his age.

He took a deep breath and used some grace to move faster as he watched the angel falling backwards. The angel let out a cry as his feathers started to shed off of his wings, floating in the air. He tried to jump up and catch them.

It only took another half a second before Castiel caught the angel's arm and gripped it tightly. For a moment, his wings flapped, keeping them suspended in air as they adjusted to the new weight. He then shot upwards, the wind whipping through his hair and feathers as he flew them back onto the land. He gasped as he and the other angel came crashing onto the rocks. He tumbled and rolled a bit, his wings becoming tangled with the other angel's until they came to a stop.

Castiel felt his eyes water as waves of pain shot from his wings into this body. He sat up and clutched his stomach from the pain. The other angel was hunched over, too, holding his gut as his wings slouched onto the ground, many of the feathers missing.

Castiel tried to move but he and the other angel's wings were still tangled up in each other. He turned eyes to see the other two angels staring with wide, fearful eyes as another presence filled the air with powerful grace.

"What were you two thinking?" Michael's voice roared angrily, causing the ground to shake.

The Anael and Uriel cowered in fear as they tried to run the other way but were stopped as Archangel Raphael stood there, arms crossed over his chest and large, silvery gold wings flared out. He reached his hands out and grabbed one arm from each of the small angels. He then took flight and disappeared.

Castiel winced as he tried to untangle him and the other angel's wings. He could hardly focus with the feeling over his grace twisting and burning inside of him.

"Are you two okay?" Michael asked as he leaned down. He noticed the wings twisted together and he easily pulled them apart. He felt stomach turn as he noticed the mess of feathers on the dirt and the two small angels clutching their stomachs and wincing in pain.

"Why does it hurt so bad?" Castiel cried, more pain shooting through him. He was beginning to feel very lightheaded and weak.

"I need you two to relax for a moment, okay?" Michael said softly, placing a hand on each of the young angel's shoulders.

Castiel nodded and glanced at the other angel with blue eyes. He nodded as well and Castiel felt a shift as Michael transported them to an unfamiliar place.

Castiel gazed around at the room as more pain shot through him. Before he could get a good look, he hunched over again in agony.

"I'll be right back," Michael said and Castiel noticed the worry in his voice.

It was silent for a moment before Castiel turned to the angel he still didn't know "Are you okay?" he asked.

"You just saved me," the angel said, his eyes full of awe "Thank you so much."

Castiel managed a smile "My name is Castiel," he said, taking a deep breath when the pain stopped for a moment. He was sitting on the floor of a large, white and gold room. The floor was white tiled with golden creases and Castiel realized he must have been in one of the Throne Rooms. Along the walls were rows of large chairs, each separated by white columns. In the back of the room was a huge throne made of silver and gold.

"My name is Balthazar," the other angel said and his voice was steady but Castiel could tell he was in a lot of pain. They both turned silent as they heard Michael speaking in a hushed tone on the other side of the room.

"They almost _Fell, _Gabriel," Michael said "Balthazar would have if Castiel hadn't caught him."

"What happened?" Gabriel's voice asked and it was filled with anger; a tone that he had never heard from the archangel.

"I wasn't there for everything," Michael said "Gabriel…this isn't good. They need to heal or they could get seriously hurt."

Castiel and Balthazar both turned their gazes down so the archs wouldn't think they were eavesdropping.

Gabriel's eyes were filled with fear when they met the electric blue "Castiel…what happened?"

"Anael and Uriel pushed Balthazar over the edge," Castiel said, feeling another wave pain.

"Balthazar, why did they push you?" Michael questioned, leaning down beside the small angel.

"I told them that I could fly better than them…so they brought me there and told me to prove it. I…I've heard that if you fell over the edge, that you would never come back to Heaven…I was so afraid," Balthazar said, his heart racing when he thought he would get in trouble. He still didn't know what it meant to Fall, either.

"Don't ever go to that edge ever again, okay?" Michael said, running a hand over the damaged feathers.

"Castiel saved me. He caught me and flew me back up all by himself," Balthazar said, giving Castiel a smile.

Castiel stared down, feeling embarrassed that he was being confronted by Archangel Michael and Archangel Gabriel again.

Gabriel was staring at Balthazar and he could tell that if Castiel hadn't pulled him up when he did, then the poor little angel would have Fallen. Castiel would have Fallen as well if they had went down any further. He was relieved, though, to see them okay. It would take a few days for them to heal but at least they still had their grace intact.

"Great job, Cassie," Gabriel said, brushing a hand through Castiel's dark, unruly hair.

Castiel pressed his lips together and tried to swat Gabriel's hand away. He hated when he did that…the other angels called him a pet enough as it was.

Gabriel laughed at the dark look the little angel was giving him and he gently lifted him up to his feet "Alright…you two should get to the Healing Room now."

Michael was lifting Balthazar to his feet and then made his way out of the room. Castiel and Balthazar followed the two archangels without a word. Once inside another plain white room, they were ordered to stay put until told they could leave. Michael left and Gabriel smirked and pointed to Castiel's pocket before leaving.

Castiel could already feel the warmth from the Healing Room. It felt as though he was lying in the grass under the sunlight. It was trickling over his skin and wings and his grace was already warming inside of him. He turned to Balthazar, who was sitting cross-legged across from him. Balthazar's wings were already starting to grow more feathers again.

Castiel smiled when he slid his hand into his pocket and felt a chocolate bar on his fingertips. He scooted closer to the other angel and pulled it out. Balthazar's eyes widened at the candy…he had never had anything like that before but he had heard about it.

"Where did you get that?" he asked, his voice rising in curiosity.

Castiel smiled and opened the wrapper "I can't tell…it's a secret," he said, proud of keeping his promise to Gabriel. Castiel split the chocolate bar in half and handed one side to Balthazar.

Balthazar stared at it hungrily but shook his head "No…that's yours…"

"Just take it," Castiel said, pushing it into the other angel's hand.

Balthazar smiled widely as he held onto it and placed it to his lips. Castiel watched as he took a little nibble before his eyes lit excitedly. He and Balthazar sat in silence as they each ate all of their chocolate.

"Thank you again Castiel," Balthazar said as he brushed a finger across his wings "I heard Michael say I would have Fallen if it wasn't for you."

"I'm sure you would have done the same thing," Castiel said with a shrug.

"I think your wings are really pretty," Balthazar said "I don't understand why the other angels tease you about them."

Castiel blushed at the compliment and let one wing curl into his lap so he could run his fingers through the feathers. He could see the ebony sparkling in the white light and the midnight blue shining through brightly "Thank you," he said sincerely "They hurt really bad right now, though."

Balthazar smiled "Turn around," he said.

Castiel tilted his head in confusion but did what was requested. He could feel hands touch the wings near his shoulders and he shuddered when he felt a pain shoot through him.

"This is why," Balthazar said as he found several feathers that were twisted and knotted "They are all messed up."

Castiel sighed in relief when he felt the pressure in his wings release. He hadn't had his wings groomed in a very long time. The other angels usually just all helped each other but Castiel didn't have anyone…nobody wanted to touch his wings. They would say they were too creepy.

Castiel was about to pull his wings back but Balthazar held onto them "Let me do this," he said "It's the least I can do after you saved me."

Castiel smiled and relaxed "Balthazar?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"Hm?" Balthazar asked as he concentrated on the wings.

"Will you be my friend?" Castiel asked, his stomach turning in fear of rejection.

Balthazar started laughing and Castiel quickly pulled away, almost ready to hide behind his wings and cry from embarrassment.

"Oh Cas, no I didn't mean it like that," Balthazar said quickly when he noticed the panic and embarrassment in those bright blue eyes.

"Why did you laugh at me?" Castiel asked, feeling sad.

"I wasn't laughing at you," Balthazar said, placing a hand on Castiel's "I was laughing because that was a ridiculous question."

"How so?" Castiel asked, pulling his hand away and staring down.

"Because I am already your friend," he said "now let me finish grooming your wings."

Castiel felt hopeful and he smiled widely at the idea of having a friend like Balthazar. He turned around and let his friend fix his wings.

Balthazar just grinned to himself as he touched the silky, ebony wings. He had always loved the way Castiel's wings looked and he was happy to be friends with him now. He could tell they would be close for a very long time.

. . .

**Okay, I KNOW that was silly and fluffy but they ARE very young so having a friend means a lot. . I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave reviews and comments…**


	3. The Horse and The Angel

**AW thank you all so much for the review and alerts. ^-^. They made me so happy. **

**Plot: Castiel asks Gabriel about Falling and then Gabriel shows Castiel what a horse is. **

**I know, really random but the idea just popped into my head. I hope you enjoy!**

**. . .**

**Chapter 3: The Horse and The Angel;**

Castiel took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he let his body lay upon the grass in his Heaven. It was soft and cool in contrast to the warmth of the sun prickling his skin. He allowed his wings to stretch, feathers reaching to the sides of him. He let out a breath of relief as pressure released. He hadn't been able to fully expand them in a while. He usually tried to keep the full extent of them from the sights of the other angels. It was bad enough that he had black wings but if the others had seen the length and arch of them…he would surely be teased more. He could barely keep balance with how fast they were growing and would often trip on them.

"Hello Castiel," a smooth and happy voice sounded.

Castiel didn't have to open his eyes to know that it was Archangel Gabriel. He did open them though and was about to stand to show respect when he felt a hand on his shoulder holding him down.

"Just relax…I never see you relaxing," Gabriel said, beaming at the small angel. Castiel gave him and thankful smile before just sitting up and letting his wings unfurl around his body, basking in the sunlight. It was incredibly warm considering the ebony was absorbing sunlight.

Gabriel took a seat beside Castiel and took one of his little wings into his hand. He began running his fingers through the soft feathers, untangling them. He loved how silky the down feathers felt in his hand. It was a shame that Castiel would be losing them soon, considering he was getting older.

Castiel shifted slightly when he felt the archangel's fingers running through his feathers. It was strange because Balthazar was the only other angel whom would groom him and Gabriel's touch was more powerful and firm…it was nice, though.

Castiel examined as Gabriel let his own wings expand…not just the two he usually let out…but all six of them. Castiel's blue eyes enlarged drastically as he stared at the six large, golden wings. He had never in his existence seen an archangel release all six of them at once. He quickly looked away when he realized he was staring. They were taught never to stare at an elder because it was rude.

"You can say something about them," Gabriel said when he noticed the hesitation in Castiel.

Castiel turned blue eyes to amber-gold and his stomach turned nervously but the elder angel gave him a reassuring smile. Castiel took a deep breath "What is it like to have six wings?"

Gabriel smiled as he smoothed the down feathers on top of Castiel's wings. He thought about it but truly did not know how to answer it. He pursed his lips in thought for a moment "Honestly…it is not as great as you would think," he said, grinning when Castiel's blue eyes widened as if he heard something that he didn't believe.

"Seriously," Gabriel said "It can be quite tiresome, dragging six wings around with you everywhere…that is why we tend to only let two of them out at a time."

Castiel just stared between Gabriel and then the six unfurled wings. He wondered what they felt like…if they were soft like Balthazar's. Gabriel seemed to sense his thoughts because a moment later, Castiel gasped as all six of the wings curled around Castiel, who was instantly covered in head to toe from them. He couldn't help but let out a small laugh as the feathers brushed all over his skin, tickling him. He then felt his heart speed up when he realized he couldn't move under their weight.

Gabriel just smirked as the angel disappeared in the tent of wings. He could feel Castiel pushing at his wings, trying to find an escape but Gabriel kept them tightly around him. It was amusing to know that one day this fussy little angel would grow up and dive into Hell.

He sighed and frowned slightly as he thought about what would happen to the small angels. Soon they would be taking courses in fighting and battle. In no time at all, they would lose everything that made young angels so fun and amusing to be around. They would lose all sense of happiness and joy and just become emotionless like angels were supposed to be. Gabriel hated that more than anything…he wished that the angels could keep their feelings…it gave them character.

After a few moments, he pulled his wings back to reveal a disheveled Castiel sitting there with a scowl on his face. His skin was flushed and his hair a ruffled mess on his head. He pouted out his lower lip and crossed his arms as he yanked his wing out of Gabriel's hand and curled it around himself.

Gabriel laughed "You are such an interesting little angel, Castiel," he said, amused when Castiel turned his eyes away from him. He reached out and grabbed the little black wing.

Castiel let out a whimper as he was pulled into the archangel's lap. He fought against the restrain Gabriel had on him before sighing in defeat. Gabriel smirked to himself as he held the fighting angel in his lap.

Once he relaxed, Gabriel released his hold and began to groom those black wings again. He could feel the energy protruding from them as a sure sign of strength. He couldn't wait to see Castiel become a warrior. He would make for a strong and proud one.

"Archangel Gabriel," Castiel stared as he turned his head to look at the arch.

Gabriel pulled on a feather, causing Castiel to let out a little yelp.

"I told you to just call me Gabriel," he said in a flat tone but he was smiling.

"S-sorry Ar- Gabriel," Castiel said, trying to climb off of the elder angel's lap but giving up once more when he was held in place.

"Now what did you want to ask?" Gabriel questioned, roughing up the small angel's hair once more.

There was a moment of silence where Castiel shoved at Gabriel's hand. He could see the small angel sigh "Gabriel, am I your pet?" he asked.

Gabriel knit his eyebrows and for a moment, was loss at words. He let out a long breath and lifted Castiel so he now sat in the grass, facing him. Castiel's blue eyes were wide and his head was tilted curiously.

"Where did you hear that?" he asked.

Castiel shrugged "A lot of the angels say it. Mostly Uriel and Hayyel."

"You're not my pet, Cassie," Gabriel said with a reassuring smile.

"Then why do you always talk to me and not them?" he questioned.

"Because you are interesting and they are boring," Gabriel said nonchalantly.

Castiel tilted his head again, his sapphire eyes sparkling.

"Got anymore questions?" Gabriel asked with a grin.

"What does it mean to Fall?" Castiel wondered.

Gabriel paused and his grin faltered as he tried to answer that. He really didn't want to explain it because it would surely frighten Castiel outright. He noticed more confusion fill those cerulean eyes at the hesitation.

Gabriel sighed "I suppose you will hear about it sooner or later," he said "Falling…for one, don't _ever_ try it."

Castiel nodded and willed him on with eyes.

Gabriel took a deep breath "It is very painful…when you Fall…your Grace is ripped from you," he watched those blue eyes widen exponentially and fill with shock.

Gabriel knew he wanted to hear more "When you Fall…you lose your grace and your wings…you fall onto Earth and become a mortal."

Castiel's eyes widened even more and his wings slowly twitched and curled around him as if the idea of not having them was painful. Castiel took a deep breath "That sounds horrible…why would someone want to do that?"

Gabriel sighed "I have no idea Cassie," he said "Enough about Falling though."

Castiel nodded…even though he still had questions, he knew not to pester the archangel.

Gabriel stared at Castiel "Why were your wings so tangled, anyways?"

Castiel shrugged and stared down at the grass "I do not like the let them fully out…they are really long."

Gabriel smiled and stood up, pulling the smaller angel with him. Castiel wobbled for a moment as his wings slouched onto the ground. He went to take a step forward and winced when he felt his foot tug on one of his feathers. He braced himself for the wall and his cheeks turned scarlet when Gabriel laughed and caught him.

Castiel quickly pulled back and looked away, embarrassed that he tripped over his own wings again…this time in front of Gabriel, who was even laughing at him.

"I-I'm sorry Cas," Gabriel apologized while trying to catch his breath. He swore that was the cutest thing he had ever seen.

Castiel pouted and he felt a sting in his eyes…he really never thought Gabriel would laugh at him.

"Oh sh- Cas, I'm sorry," Gabriel said, feeling bad "It's just…you just reminded me of me when I was young."

Castiel stared at him with eyes that glimmered from unshed tears "How?"

"I had six very long wings when I was your size…I tripped over them more than any of the other archangels," Gabriel said, hoping it would make Castiel feel better. It was a complete fabrication but he saw a smile creep onto the young face.

Gabriel gave a smirk before snapping his fingers. Castiel gasped when a large and beautiful dark brown creature appeared before him. He had never seen this particular one before. It stood tall so that Castiel only reached up to the top of the creature's muscular legs. He stared up at it as the umber coat shimmered in the sunlight. This creature was lengthy and had very four very tall legs and hard hoofs as feet. The creature had a long neck with a shaggy black hair hanging down it and slightly over the face which was long as well. Ears perked up straight as it turned its big, chocolaty eyes down to Castiel.

Gabriel watched in amusement as the small angel's head tilted at the horse in front of him. He had to laugh silently; little Cas had no idea what a horse was and he wished he could hear what was going on in his head.

"What is that?" Castiel asked, his eyes grazing over the astonishing creature.

"That is a horse," Gabriel said "Elegant creature."

"He is so beautiful," Castiel whispered in awe, his wings twitching with excitement. He turned big, blue eyes to Gabriel "M-may I touch it?" he asked.

Gabriel smiled "Of course," he said and laughed when he saw Castiel's face light up as he jumped with excitement. Just as Castiel was about to touch the soft coat, Gabriel grabbed onto his sides and lifted him.

Castiel gasped and started to struggle, flapping his wings in a weak attempt to get away. Gabriel then just placed him onto the horse's back.

Castiel squeaked in fear as he sat on the warm and muscular body. He quickly tried to get down but Gabriel hopped up behind him.

"Please, I want to get down," Castiel said, shaking.

"It's alright," Gabriel said softly as he urged the horse to start walking a slow pace.

Castiel stiffened and locked his hands into the skin, causing the horse's muscles to twitch. He closed his eyes as he tried to get used to the feeling of the subtle movements below him.

Gabriel pressed his lips together as he urged the horse to start galloping. Castiel let out another squeak in fear as he tried to clutch on to something – anything – to not fall off. He ended up turning and grabbing onto Gabriel. He curled up against him, face in chest, hands clutching his shirt while his wings curled around him.

Gabriel gently pushed him off "No you acting like a child, Castiel," he said, turning the small angel.

"I want to get down," Castiel said loudly as the horse galloped through the grass.

"No," Gabriel said firmly "Just relax."

Castiel tried to relax but he didn't like the way this felt. He instantly tried to fly away but the archangel kept him down.

After a few moments of the horse running, Castiel started to enjoy the way the breeze felt through his hair and wings. It reminded him of flying but he didn't have to do anything but sit there.

"See, it's not so bad," Gabriel said as he let his wings open so he could drift off. He watched as Castiel and the horse went further into the field.

Castiel didn't realize that Gabriel was gone until he turned his head. He instantly gasped as fear swept into him again. Without a moment of hesitation, he lifted his wings and shot up into the air, almost falling backwards from the wind pressure.

He darted his eyes around to look for Gabriel but he was gone. He frowned slightly as he dropped back to the ground. He glanced around once more to find the horse had vanished as well. He sighed before sitting on the ground. He pulled a book from his pocket and began to study. He had no idea why Gabriel seemed to like him but he was beginning to think the archangel was just a strange one. He smiled, though as he thought about the horse.

"Castiel!" Balthazar's voice said loudly.

Castiel turned to him and smiled "Hello Balthazar," he said, closing his book.

Balthazar knit his eyebrows at the book "Why are you reading? We do not have any lessons today."

Castiel shrugged "I like to read," he said, placing the book back into his pocket.

"You are so weird;" Balthazar said "Hey…you ready to go to The Garden tomorrow?"

Castiel smiled "I cannot wait," he said "I've always wanted to go there."

Balthazar beamed "Me too," he said "Who are you partnering with?"

Castiel stared down. He honestly didn't have anyone to go with.

"Want to tag along with me and Afriel?" Balthazar asked hopefully.

Castiel turned to him "That would be nice," he said, though something about being around Afriel made him nervous. That angel was always getting into trouble.

"Sweet. I'll see you tomorrow," Balthazar said before flying off.

Castiel just smiled to himself as he pulled out his book again; tomorrow was going to be a very interesting day.

. . .

**Sorry…chapter didn't come out like I thought it would. But reviews and comments will always be cherished! Pleasee? Also, any ideas you would like to hear. I'm up for almost anything. **


	4. Fire in The Garden Part 1

**Thank you all soo very much for the reviews and suggestions! I cannot wait to get going on some of them. For now, this chapter will come in two parts so that way I can get them out a little sooner for you. ^-^**

**Plot:**** Castiel goes to the Garden and realizes what Balthazar and Afriel have planned…also, a female angel takes notice in Cas. ^-^**

**. . .**

**Chapter 4: Fire in The Garden Part 1:**

"Alright now everyone step forward," Joshua said as he stood before the group of small angels. He smiled as they all ran over, each chatting excitedly to one another before becoming silent as they took places in their little groups.

Balthazar grabbed Castiel's sleeve and pulled him forward as he tried to push their way to the front of the group. Afriel followed closely behind Castiel, his blood pumping excitedly.

Castiel stared up at Joshua and was mesmerized by him. Joshua was the one who tended the Garden…he was also the only one who has spoken to God besides the archangels. Joshua was a caring and compassionate angel with wings that were soft, sea foam green and sky blue. He was staring over the small crowd, taking in each of the angels and marking which ones he thought would cause trouble.

"Move," Anael suddenly said as she shoved through Balthazar and Castiel.

Balthazar pressed his lips together before yanking on one of Anael's longer feathers. She yelped out in pain and spun around, her bright red hair whipping around.

"Stop this instant," Joshua said, his voice daunting with authority; he was in charge today which meant that they all had to follow his orders outright.

Anael sucked in a deep breath as her grass green eyes glowered into Balthazar's fiery blue. She pressed on a smile and turned around, slapping her feathers into Balthazar in the process.

Castiel grabbed Balthazar's arm just as he was lifting it. He gave him a look and Balthazar sighed then relaxed. They then focused their attention on Joshua.

"Now once you enter the Garden, you may touch and smell some of the flowers but do _not_ touch the Tree," Joshua said, adding emphasis about the Tree.

Of course all angels knew that…it was one of the first things they were told about. Castiel wasn't sure if it was his imagination but he swore he saw Afriel give Balthazar a nudge and a knowing look. Castiel stared at the angel, whose bright green eyes seemed too mischievous. He was becoming concerned about being around him. He did not want to lose privilege to be in the Garden…that would make him very upset.

"Be warned that Cherubims do indeed watch over the tree," Joshua said and that was warning enough for Castiel. He had heard many things about them and was not planning on causing one to anger.

There was silence among the younger angels and Joshua watched over them for a moment before waving and arm "You may enter."

Castiel suddenly felt his entire body become crushed as the angels started to run into the Garden. He grunted when he felt a hand pull his and after a few seconds of feathers against feathers and bodies brushing together, they were standing inside the Garden. It only took a moment for the area around him to become clear as the groups each walked in different directions to journey what they desired.

Castiel just stared, feeling completely enchanted as his eyes grazed over the hundreds of different types of flowers and trees cascading together. The colors were so vibrant in shades brighter than a rainbow and even some 'colors' that Castiel had never even known existed. They all clashed in contrast to the bright and dark greens of the leaves and stems and the mahogany and umber and all shades of browns. He could hear the sounds of the angels speaking, wings fluttering and leaves rustling. He could hear the sounds of streams and small waterfalls and the distinct humming of the angels above who would sing beautiful songs. He was then impaled by the overwhelming but lovely scents of flowers and cedar and pine. The breeze that washed over his face smelled of crisp waters and fresh clouds.

He was entranced as he gazed at this astonishing place. It was more glorious than he would have ever imagined.

"Aw, how cute…look at you two holding hands like a couple of little lovebirds," a smooth and teasing voice resounded.

Castiel then realized that his hand was indeed still locked with Balthazar's. He quickly pulled it back and his face flushed as he turned to Uriel, who was laughing at them.

"Go away, Uriel," Balthazar said with a threat in his voice.

"Like you can do anything," Uriel said, straightening out and puffing his feathers defensively to show his pride.

"Go away or I will make you," Afriel said with a bite as he took a step forward. His wings were brightly colored but held the edge that still made Castiel cautious to see.

Uriel smiled "Afriel…Angel of Youth?" he said.

Castiel tilted his head in confusion at the new information; the angels were currently learning what their purposes were. All he was ever told about himself was that he was going to be important in the future but for the time being, he was just an Angel of Thursday and that he would soon help those who are to travel far away.

Afriel smiled that wicked one.

"You're a child and always will be," Uriel said with disgust "Your purpose it to be child-like."

"And _you_?" Balthazar asked.

Uriel smiled "Angel of September…and Repentance. I will also one day be of importance to a war."

"Yeah well so will Castiel," Balthazar said and Castiel sighed, looking down. He didn't want to be dragged into this.

Uriel stared at Castiel, who maintained eye contact.

"I know about Castiel…I've heard stories. Seems to me that he was born to go to Hell like Lucifer," Uriel said with malice before walking away.

Castiel stared wide-eyed, his wings suddenly feeling too heavy on his back. He felt a wave of ice shoot through him and his entire well-being just vanish. He didn't want to go to Hell. He heard stories about that place.

"Don't listen to him," Balthazar said, placing a hand on Castiel's shoulder. He of course heard a few things, too, about Castiel but they were just rumors spread by the others who were most likely just jealous that Castiel was going to have an important role someday.

"Why did he say I was going to go to Hell like Lucifer?" Castel asked, feeling afraid.

"He is just jealous…I'm positive you aren't going to Hell, Castiel. You are too good an angel for that," Balthazar said, giving his friend a nice pat on the back "Now let's go see the Garden!"

Castiel remained silent as they sauntered through the winding red dirt paths complete with columns with vines twisting around to the tops and immaculate statues of forest creatures and angels. Castiel observed everything with a smile as Balthazar and Afriel spoke about the different things they would like to do. Castiel was trying to tune them out as they walked along to the path that led to the tree of life; he couldn't ignore it, though, when he heard the words that came from Afriel's mouth.

"So, when we get there…Balthazar, you need to try and distract the cherubim while I go and take a leaf" Afriel was saying in a hushed tone.

Castiel shot wide, bright blue eyes at him "You aren't allowed to touch the tree," he said, knowing he should have went with his gut instinct to avoid this angel.

Afriel rolled his eyes "Don't be such a sissy, Castiel," he said "We won't get caught…we just have to be careful."

"No way," Castiel said, shooting eyes at Balthazar for some backup but Balth's eyes were lowered as though he had been planning this all along.

"Balthazar? You are not considering this, are you?" Castiel asked fearfully.

"Come on, it'll be an adventure! We only get to be young once…well in my case, forever; but that's beside the point," Afriel said with a shrug "I'll make sure we don't get caught."

"I won't do it," Castiel said, ready to turn around and walk the other way but he didn't want to leave Balthazar alone with this troublemaker. He grabbed onto his friend's arm and tried to pull him. Balthazar pulled his arm out of the grasp and turned light blue eyes to electric blue.

"He is right Cassie…we should do it. What is the worst that can happen?" Balthazar said with playful eyes.

"We get burned by one of the cherubim…Balthazar, please I don't want you to get hurt or in trouble," Castiel said, feeling a sense of panic.

"You don't have to join us if you don't want to Castiel," Afriel said "I'll understand if your afraid."

Castiel puffed out his feathers and narrowed his eyes to Afriel's green "I'm not afraid," he defended "But I'm also not stupid."

"Whatever; come on, Balthazar," Afriel said, grabbing the sleeve of Balth. He gave Castiel an apologetic smile before turning and following Afriel.

Castiel sighed, feeling something turn inside of him. He was fearful, that was true, but only because he didn't want Balthazar to get in trouble. He felt guilty standing there knowing what the two angels were going to do…he should do something. For a moment, he considered going to Joshua but he didn't want to be a tattle-teller, either. He sighed, suddenly not finding the Garden as relaxing anymore.

He turned when he heard giggling behind him. He smiled to see Sachael, the Angel of Water standing there with light, white blonde hair and bright ocean blue eyes; her wings were bright, heavenly white with glorious shades of blue sparkling through. She was very beautiful already and standing beside another angel named Shekinah, an Angel of Love. Her eyes were a soft purplish blue and her hair was deep, dark ebony. Shekinah's wings were also bright white but with soft pinks and purples shining through them.

They were sitting in front of a fountain with the statue of Archangel Raphael; both of the angels giggled again when Castiel tilted his head. He suddenly felt embarrassed that they were laughing at him. He was sure he didn't do anything to deserve it; subconsciously, he let his wings curl behind him as if trying to hide them. He quickly spun around and started to walk closer to the tree.

"Castiel!" Sachael shouted in a soft, pretty voice that honestly did make Castiel think of soft running water in a stream.

Castiel turned and lifted his eyebrows to find that she was standing just a few feet away from him, her big blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

He tilted his head at her in confusion when she smiled widely at him. With that, he suddenly felt a strange fluttering in his stomach that just made him more muddled.

"You're cute," she said almost in a squeak as he cheeks turned red.

Castiel tilted his head more at what she said. He was honestly confused about her behavior…no one had ever called him 'cute' before nor has a pretty angel even spoken to him.

Sachael turned her eyes to glance at Shekinah, who gave her a nod as if encouraging something.

Castiel gasped when he suddenly felt a soft, warm mouth on his. It lasted only a second but in that second, he felt his wings touch with Sachael's and sparks shot through him. He stared, wings twitching as Sachael pulled back and squeaked before running back to Shekinah.

Castiel felt something turning inside of him and before he could think, he was stumbling backwards, almost tripping over a wing. He spun and quickly ran the other way, trying to understand what just happened.

He felt extremely jumpy but with a sense of giddiness as he made his way to the tree. He did not know what Sachael had just done but it felt really nice. When her wings touched his; he just felt so warm inside…almost electrified now.

Castiel froze when he eyes set upon the scene before him. Balthazar and Afriel were standing in front of Uriel and Anael. He could hear shouting and see movements as Balthazar stalked up to Uriel, who was sneering and his wings were pointed dangerously in warning.

"Balthazar!" Castiel shouted out but was too late as Uriel curled his hand into a fist and threw it forward. What amazed Castiel was that a ball of bright yellow, red and orange flames shot out of the fist. It hit both Balthazar and Afriel at the same time; the sound of his friend's cry of pain was what caused Castiel to snap. He let his wings burst out to their full extent as he darted forward to attack Uriel.

. . .

**I'm sorry that was so short but I promise I will have the second part out either tomorrow or maybe even tonight. Depends on if my writing flare kicks in. **

**Remember, reviews always do help inspire my muse to get going. So any suggestions you might have for what is going on…just let me know. Perhaps if there is anything you would like to see happen to Uriel. O.o**


	5. Fire in The Garden Part 2

**:D Don't know who else watched it but Friday's SPN episode… BAH ! I friggen LOVE Cas! So friggen blaaaaah I want to hug him. So…on another note…watching that kind of gave me a few ideas for this series…not in **_**this**_** chapter but maybe in the next one. If you haven't seen it yet, let me know. O.o**

**Plot: Castiel and Uriel get in big trouble and meet Gavreel.**

**. . .**

**Chapter 5: Fire in The Garden; Part 2:**

Uriel gasped in surprise when he felt a pressure slam into him so hard that he fall onto his back, his feathers crumpling beneath him. He pried his eyes open to see the smaller angel on top of him.

Castiel bounded at Uriel, using all of the strength he could as he shoved the bigger angel onto the ground. He felt Uriel shove at him but Castiel was so angry that he could feel that he was gaining power from it; his grace feeding off of the darkened emotions.

"Get off me!" Uriel growled as he threw another fiery fist, hitting Castiel on the cheek.

Castiel startled, stepping back and holding his face that was searing with a burning pain. Uriel took that moment to jump onto his feet. He grabbed ahold of one of Castiel's black wings and used his own wings to pull them up into the air.

Castiel thrashed against the grip and after a moment, his wing was free. He almost fell onto the ground but his wings gave a flap and he was up in the air in front of Uriel, whose own wings were moving about, sending him barreling towards Cas.

Castiel gathered strength and gasped when he felt electricity vibrating through his hand and suddenly a beam of bright, white light shot out of it. It hit Uriel and he tumbled backwards in the air for a moment.

"Your pathetic, Castiel," Uriel said once he gained balance. They hovered in air, not noticing the shouts below them; some urging the fight on, others trying to coax them down. There were many hoots for Uriel and even some for Castiel, cheering him on to kick the crap out of the bully.

Castiel dove at Uriel again and they latched onto each other. There were fists being thrown and wings being tugged as they barreled through the air. Castiel hadn't even noticed how far off they strayed from where they started. He was content on beating Uriel a new one; teaching him a lesson about messing with Castiel's only friend.

Castiel yelped when he felt a burning on his feathers and instantaneously, he spun around, his feathers sharpening like daggers in the process. Uriel hissed out in pain when he felt the feathers slice across his chest. The cuts weren't deep enough to cause major damage but he could still feel some stickiness start to soak his shirt. He glared at Castiel when he realized that smaller angel knew a power that he didn't.

Castiel turned to his wings in wonder when he realized the tips of the feathers were unbelievably sharp and stained with red. In that moment of distraction, he gasped when he felt something slam into his body. He tried to flap his wings but they didn't move in time as he plummeted into a tree. He shook his head before shooting back at Uriel, who ducked just in time.

Uriel then shot a ball of fire at Castiel, who dodged it. He heard gasps and murmurs from below and he turned his eyes to Uriel, who was hovering and getting another fireball ready. Castiel ground his teeth and felt the electricity through his fingers and he threw a beam of light forward. Uriel moved at the last moment, the light just grazing his feathers before it slammed into the tree, creating a large bright explosion.

Suddenly, everything became silent and that was when the brutal truth hit Castiel. The tree…the tree he slammed into was _The Tree_. He realized that when he saw the golden specks on his clothing. The beam of light he threw also hit that tree.

He froze and his entire body shook as he noticed the burnt spot on the trunk and Uriel's eyes widened with fear.

Castiel gasped and whirled around in fear to see a cherubim shooting up into the air, its massive four golden wings gaining speed. Out of its four faces, the one of the eagle was what was facing Castiel, contorted in wrath; it's golden eyes were glowing in fury. Castiel started to fly backwards, bumping into Uriel, who managed to grab the smaller angel's shoulders and pull him back. Castiel stared in amazement as Uriel tried to hover in front of him like protecting him.

As the cherubim came closer, Castiel would see the faces of the lion, the bull and of the one he didn't recognize.

Castiel let out a screech sound when he felt one of the hands clasp onto him. It burned through him and he tried to fly away. He was surprised when he felt Uriel grab his other arm and start to pull. He turned big, pleading blue eyes to Uriel, who seemed to be in a state of panic.

Castiel let out a cry when he realized another cherubim grabbing Uriel and pulling him in the opposite direction.

The flight out of the Garden felt like an eternity when it was truly just moments and Castiel suddenly found himself thrown onto the ground outside of the Garden. Uriel was dropped beside him and the two cherubim both lifted their four arms.

Castiel flinched, waiting for the presumable death to come. He really had never thought this was how he was going to go.

"I'll take care of them," Michael's voice suddenly boomed through the air. Castiel didn't dare to peek an eye open as covered himself in his wings.

There was grunting and mumbling and Castiel heard the wings of the cherubim leaving.

"Now you two. Stand up this instant," Michael's voice was loud and commanding.

Castiel instantly stood up and let his wings fall behind him as he stared into Michael's wrathful blue gaze. He flinched when Michael reached forward and they were suddenly transported to a large, dark room. Castiel had never been here before but he knew at once this was made for punishment. He turned to Uriel, who seemed to be perfectly comfortable here.

Castiel stared down in shame when he noticed Gabriel walking over, his usually bright amber eyes full of anger and despair when they set on him.

"Bring them to Gavreel…" Michael said with bitterness before flying off.

"What did you two do?" Gabriel asked, staring at them.

There was a moment of silence and Castiel couldn't look up. He was embarrassed and ashamed because of how he acted.

"Look at me," Gabriel ordered, his voice so different than what Castiel was used to. He glanced up and his stomach turned.

"Castiel attacked me," Uriel said in a low voice.

Castiel stared at him "Only because you threw fire at Balthazar."

"He deserved it," Uriel stated, malice in his voice.

"Be quiet," Gabriel commanded "Now Castiel…from what I can see on your clothing and wings, you touched The Tree."

Castiel flushed and stared down again.

"Look at me," Gabriel said flatly.

Castiel gulped deeply and turned his eyes up to the archangel "I-I did not mean to. Uriel and I were fighting and…"

"I expected so much better from you Castiel, I really did," Gabriel said with disappointment.

Castiel felt his heart shudder at those words and he almost looked down in shame again. He remained eye contact "I'm so sorry."

"Your puppy dog eyes will not get you out of this one," Gabriel said when those eyes enlarged and gleamed at him.

Castiel tilted his head "Puppy dog eyes?" he asked.

Gabriel almost gave in but not quite. He was far too angry. "You two were almost killed by cherubim…you realize that you may never be allowed in the garden ever again?" Gabriel questioned.

Castiel felt his entire heart crush at the thought of never being in that beautiful place…never seeing it again.

"Now let's go. I'm bringing you two to Gavreel," Gabriel said as he began to walk. Castiel stared at his feet as he followed the footsteps of the archangel. He could feel Uriel's gaze on him but he didn't get bothered by it. He had heard of the name Gavreel before but he wasn't sure what the angel was for. He was assuming it had to do with punishment though.

They ended up entering a room that looked like an office of some sort. The walls were a faded green with white paneling. There was a window that looked over a beach with sand that was almost pure white and water that was turquoise blue. The sounds of the waves washing over the shore seemed to fill the room along with the crisp saltwater scent. The floor was short, dark tan carpeting and picture were hanging on the wall, consisting of landscape sceneries and what Castiel remembered to be a horse in one of them. To the side of them, close to the wall with that had the window was a desk covered in papers and books and in front of the desk sat two beige Victorian chairs with mahogany legs. It was cool inside the room and Castiel immediately felt more relaxed in the soothing atmosphere.

"Gavreel," Gabriel said, causing Castiel to turn his eyes to where an unfamiliar angel stood. He was an older angel with soft gray eyes and dark gray hair. His wings were spread out but swaying in relaxation, radiating in colors of soft gray, white and blue. When he spoke, his voice was also smooth and somewhat deep. All in all, everything about this angel seemed relaxing to Castiel.

"Yes Gabriel?" Gavreel asked, giving the archangel a respectful nod of head.

"I need you to work your magic with these two," Gabriel said, shooting Castiel that look that made him want to hide in his wings again. He really did not like to see disappointment his in favorite brother's eyes.

Gavreel nodded "As you wish," he said, giving Castiel and Uriel a look-over. He turned back to Gabriel "Is that Castiel?" he asked.

Gabriel nodded "It is," he said "but I must go now."

"Of course," Gavreel said "I will help these young angels."

Gabriel gave Castiel another look before vanishing.

"Sit," Gavreel said, pointing to the two chairs in front of him.

Castiel and Uriel instantly obeyed, taking the chairs that now seemed awfully close together. Castiel could feel Uriel's wings almost touching his. He pulled them back as far as he could before turning back to Gavreel, who was now sitting in a chair behind the desk.

"My name is Gavreel. I am the Angel of Peace," the man said slowly.

Castiel remembered then…he was the angel that guided others when they needed to make peace with an enemy. He now understood why they were brought here but he wasn't looking forward to making peace with Uriel anytime soon…as he was sure that Uriel did not want to make peace with him.

"I do not see my reason for being here," Uriel said flatly.

"Which is precisely why you are," Gavreel said calmly. He turned his soft gray eyes to Castiel, who stared down, feeling ashamed. He knew him and Uriel were not close but he did not like to consider anyone an enemy to him. He then remembered about the Garden…there had been that moment where Uriel had tried to protect him…at least, that was what it seemed.

"So how long have you two had conflict?" Gavreel questioned to nobody in particular.

When Uriel wouldn't say anything, Castiel spoke up "Uriel and I have never been 'close', I suppose. We have always had our opinions but I would not say it is conflict."

Gavreel gave a small smile "What has been the particular reason for unkind words?"

"Well," Castiel started but was surprised when Uriel cut him off.

"It started when Castiel first gained his wings. I had teased him about them multiple times," Uriel said with no hint of emotion in his voice.

"And you do not anymore?" Gavreel questioned, not once glancing at Castiel's wings, which made him feel nice. They were usually the first thing angels looked at on him.

Castiel glanced over to Uriel, who shook his head "I do not see reason to anymore," he said "I, myself, have wings uncommon for angels."

Castiel tilted his head slightly but realized that Uriel's wings were bigger than other angels. They were nothing like Castiel's but still differently shaped and were one flat color of light brown instead of ranges of colors. He didn't find them unusual, though…if anything, he thought they were unique.

"Has anyone said anything to you about them?" Gavreel asked Uriel, who seemed caught off guard by the question.

He nodded, though "Yes, there have been quite a few," he said.

"So you know how Castiel felt?" Gavreel asked, seeming honestly interested.

Uriel nodded lightly, not moving his eyes from the older angel.

Gavreel turned his eyes to Castiel "And what has your issue with Uriel started?"

Castiel took a deep breath and knit his eyebrows "I suppose when he started to be mean to my friend, Balthazar."

"Yeah well that moron deserved it," Uriel said "He was trying to steal from the tree."

Castiel's eyebrows furrowed in confusion "That was why you were arguing with him?" he asked.

Uriel seemed caught off guard that Castiel was speaking to him directly. He turned dark brown eyes to him and nodded "I was trying to stop them before they got themselves killed."

Castiel lifted his eyebrows, not expecting that. He honestly had no idea why Uriel had started a fight with Balthazar…he had just assumed it was because he was a jerk…not because he was trying to stop him from getting killed by a cherubim.

"You did not have to throw fire at them, though," Castiel pointed out.

Uriel stared down for a moment "I did not mean to do that," he said "I lost control."

Castiel nodded and stared down. He had thought so badly about Uriel but he never really tried to understand why he acted like he did. He wanted to ask Uriel if he really wanted to protect him from that cherubim but he didn't know how to bring it up.

"I believe I should give you two a moment," Gavreel said, staring at Castiel as if he knew he wanted to say something.

"I think it is unnecessary," Uriel said, getting ready to stand up.

"No, it is necessary…you two need to talk about what happened earlier today so that way you do not have another misunderstanding," Gavreel said before vanishing out of the room.

It was silent for almost a full minute before Uriel said something "Get it off your chest. I know that look," the look on his face was bitter but Castiel could hear something in the voice.

Castiel stared down "Did you try to protect me from that cherubim?" he questioned, his stomach turning.

Uriel sighed "Yes I did try," he said "You're a lot smaller than me…it felt like the only responsible thing to do."

Castiel half-smiled "Thank you," he said.

"Don't thank me…I didn't actually help you any," Uriel muttered, not meeting Castiel's eyes.

"You still tried," Castiel said.

It was silent again and Castiel broke it "I'm sorry I cut you" he said, inspecting the blood stains on the tips of his feathers.

Uriel let out a laugh that was so sudden it scared Castiel. He jumped almost a foot in the air. He darted wide, confused blue eyes at Uriel.

"What is so funny?" Castiel wondered.

Uriel shook his head, still chuckling "You are."

Castiel tilted his head as the brown eyes set on him "How am I funny?"

"You're going to be a warrior one day and you're apologizing for giving me a few papercuts," Uriel said, his laughter dying down.

Castiel flushed slightly and stared down.

"How did you do that with your wings, anyways?" Uriel asked curiously.

Castiel shrugged "I have no idea how I did anything earlier."

Uriel lifted his eyebrows "Not even that white light?"

Castiel shook his head "No, I've never done anything remotely violent before."

"Wow," Uriel said and in an almost inaudible voice, he mumbled "and you'll be going to Hell?"

Castiel heard it, though, and ice shot through him again "What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"Okay I believe you two have resolved your issues," Gabriel's voice sounded suddenly, scaring Castiel again. He whirled around to see no more disappointment in those eyes but slight concern.

He gave Uriel a look and Uriel nodded "I will be seeing you," he said to Castiel before leaving.

"A-archangel Gabriel. I'm very sorry," Castiel stuttered.

"How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Gabriel?" he asked with annoyance in his tone.

"I apologize," Castiel said, feeling fearful that he was going to get in trouble again.

"I spoke with Joshua," Gabriel said as he led Castiel out of the room.

"Yeah?" Castiel asked, feeling hopeful. He felt his stomach drop to see the frown on Gabriel's face.

"I'm sorry Castiel," he said solemnly.

Castiel felt his heart drop and he lowered his head, feeling like a weight just dropped on his chest "I suppose I deserve never to go in there again."

Gabriel pressed his lips together and let out a loud laugh.

Castiel frowned at him. He didn't think it was funny…he would never be able to go to the Garden again. That wasn't something to laugh about…then again, he did hurt the tree.

"I was kidding," Gabriel laughed "Joshua said he trusts that you will not harm a thing in there ever again. He thinks the cherubim scared you out of your wits."

Castiel felt his jaw drop and he stopped in his tracks, just staring that the archangel "That wasn't funny, Gabriel. I thought I would never go there again."

Gabriel held his stomach as he laughed "The look on your face was priceless…you looked like a kicked puppy dog."

Castiel glared at Gabriel "I don't find humor in making someone feel bad."

Gabriel didn't stop laughing "Now you just look like an angry kitten."

"Shut up," Castiel shouted before he could stop the words. He gasped and covered his mouth, realizing he just disrespected an archangel.

Gabriel stopped laughing and lifted his eyebrows. He stared down at Castiel "Did you just tell me to shut up?" he questioned, amused.

Castiel opened his mouth to speak but couldn't think of words. He just nodded.

Gabriel laughed again "You are something else," he said.

"Stop laughing at me," Castiel whined, slamming a foot down and clenching his fists.

That only made Gabriel laugh more "Now you're pulling a temper tantrum with me? Like a little girl?"

"Stop it. I am not a little girl," Castiel said, crossing his arms. He backed away when Gabriel tried to touch his shoulder "Don't touch me," he hissed, glaring at Gabriel, who was just too amused.

"Wow…already mouthing back to an archangel? You are going to be quite the trouble-maker when you are older," Gabriel said, roughing up Castiel's hair before flying off.

Castiel pouted for a moment before walking back to where he knew his class was. He was _not_ going to be a troublemaker. Nope.

. . .

**So…whatcha think? I knew I had to have Uriel and Cas make up at some point because in the show, they are working together… O.o**

**Reviews would be so nice. Seriously, you amazing readers inspire me to write more! I love you all and I will send you each a virtual baby Cas feather. Let me know if you get a blue one or black one. O.o**


	6. Itchy Feathers and the Human Soul

**Thank you all so very much! Thank you for the reviews and inspiration. This is seriously the fastest I've ever come out with chapters and it's all because of you. So thank you again.**

**Plot****: Balthazar and Castiel discuss what they believe 'Man' to look like before deciding to see for themselves. **

**. . .**

**Chapter 6; Itchy Feathers and The Human Soul:**

Castiel smiled as Balthazar walked over to him while he sat in the Heaven he enjoyed. The sun felt extra warm and the grass extra cool and soft as he let his aching wings fall around him like a blanket. He had begun to start shedding some of his down feathers and though it felt nice afterwards, the process was very sore and itchy. Balthazar stopped in front of him and sat down. Castiel stared at his wings. They were becoming so beautiful. He was shedding off some of the lighter colors which were being replaced by longer and more vibrant shades of blue and yellow. Castiel stared back at his wings which were, if anything, becoming darker and gleaming…the blues were becoming more radiant through the creases though.

"Hey Castiel," Balthazar greeted with a bright smile.

Castiel smiled back "Hello Balthazar," he said as he rubbed one of the itches on his wings.

"I know…they are so itchy," Balthazar said as he dragged fingers through his own feathers and scrunched his nose as he did so.

"So how is your day?" Castiel asked, turning to his friend.

Balthazar shrugged "Okay I guess. Me and Rachel were just discussing Man."

Castiel perked up. He had never really spoken about Man with anyone before "What did you talk about?"

"What we think they look like," Balthazar said "I've never actually seen one before."

Castiel turned full attention to Balthazar "I haven't seen one either," he said "What do you think they look like?"

Balthazar shrugged "Rachel said they look like apes with no hair."

Castiel tilted his head "That would look awfully weird," he said "Uriel told me something different."

"What?" Balthazar asked curiously.

"He said that humans have the bodies of pigs, the feet of eagles with goat faces," Castiel said, trying to visualize that.

Balthazar lifted his eyebrows "Really?" he asked "I think that might look funnier."

Castiel laughed "I suppose it would," he said "What if they had lion faces like the cherubim?"

"Maybe," Balthazar said "Or maybe a face like a rat!"

Castiel shook his head "No…that would be too weird."

"I have an idea!" Balthazar said after a moment of silence.

Castiel perked his head up "What?" he asked.

"We could go to one of their heavens! We can see them for real," Balthazar suggested.

Castiel shook his head "I don't know, Balth…we aren't supposed to have contact with humans without a vessel," he said "We could burn them."

"But they are already in Heaven!" Balthazar pointed out "and we aren't full angels yet so our true form isn't that powerful."

Castiel stared down, knowing Balthazar had a point. They were also never told that they weren't allowed to see the human. He sighed "I guess we could take a peek," he said, really intrigued at the idea "but I don't know how to get to any of the Heavens."

"Leave that part to me," Balthazar said, his blue eyes gleaming and feathers twitching excitedly as he stood up. He held out a hand to Castiel, who took it and let his friend bring him up to his feet.

"You know how to?" Castiel asked.

Balthazar nodded "Of course."

"Why doesn't that surprise me," Castiel said with a smile.

Balthazar beamed "But I definitely have to call for Rachel! She will definitely want to come with us."

Castiel was glad when he didn't bring up Afriel. He still didn't like that angel and he knew Afriel would definitely be up for joining them, considering it was an adventure. He liked Rachel, though, she was very nice to him.

"Rachel, it's Balthazar…I believe you would love to join Castiel and I on an expedition," Balthazar said loudly.

Castiel turned when he heard the flurry of feathers. Rachel's wings were pretty with colors of yellow and orange. She smiled "Hello Castiel," she said.

Castiel smiled back "Hi," he said, his stomach turning at what they were going to do.

"What is this 'expedition' you speak of?" Rachel asked Balthazar.

"We are going to one of the heavens to look at humans," Balthazar said excitedly.

Her eyes lit "Really? Castiel too?" she asked, glancing at Castiel.

Balthazar nodded "Yup," he said, proud that his friend was starting to do more than follow orders and sit around.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Rachel asked, motioning for them to get forward.

"Follow my lead," Balthazar said, glancing at each of them before spreading his wings. Castiel and Rachel followed Balthazar for a few minutes before they ended up on a long, winding hallway with a beige linoleum floor and long white walls. Balthazar paused and landed, the other two angels behind him.

Castiel watched as Balthazar closed his eyes and his wings stretched out expansively, arching up more and more with each second. He huffed out and let his wings fall back down for a moment before taking another deep breath and restarting.

Castiel turned to Rachel, who was tilting her head in the similar manner to him as they waited for something to happen. Castiel gasped when he noticed a door appear out of nowhere on the left wall. Balthazar opened his eyes and smiled proudly.

"Are you ready?" he asked, walking towards the large, wooden door with a brass handle.

Castiel felt his stomach turn nervously but it was now or never. He nodded, feeling an excitement now start to pump through him. Rachel was nodding with a 1000 watt smile as they followed Balthazar to the door.

Time seemed to slow as Balthazar creaked the door open, revealing a white light. The three of them crouched as they slowly tiptoed inside. Castiel's eyes immediately started to focus as they entered, the white light turning into faded light as the surroundings came into focus.

They were in a huge and spacious area that appeared to be a field of some sort with long, white wood that was carved and shaped to fit together in a rectangular-like shape. He wondered if that was a gate of some sort…like the gates they had in the garden. It looked like it but these ones were made of wood instead of gold.

The grass was bright but deep green and some of it was long but the rest was cut finely. The sky was bright blue with puffy white clouds.

Castiel gasped and let out an excited noise when he noticed the elegant creatures galloping though the grass within the fence. He pointed excitedly "those are horses!"

"Horses?" Rachel asked "they are really pretty."

"Yeah they are…Gabriel showed me one. He made my sit on one while it ran like that," Castiel whispered.

"Lucky," Rachel said in awe "You get to talk to the archangels…"

Castiel frowned, not realizing it was a big deal but he guessed to other angels it was. Archangels were like royalty and only few got their attention. He felt guilty for a moment as he recalled being around them a lot…even some days where it was pure relaxation like the day with Gabriel.

"Look!" Balthazar hissed, pointing forward to where a creature was walking through the field. Castiel and Rachel quickly turned their attention to it. Castiel felt his jaw drop as he examined what he guessed was a human. It definitely had feminine features; she stood on two feet and was wearing a long, light green cloth over her body. Her body was long and thin with curves and her skin was a light tan color. All three of the angels tilted their heads as they observed more when he got closer. Castiel could see now that her hands were interesting. She had four fingers and a thumb that seemed very movable. Her face was soft and curved very nicely, her cheekbones were prominent over the thin skin and her nose was angled with the tip slightly up. Her lips were red and shaped a nice way. Her eyes were large and ovular with the color bright but soft green around a black circular pupil. Her hair was long and hung in dark brown wavy locks to her shoulders.

Her lips curled and her eyes turned as her cheeks moved with the curling and Castiel knew it was a smile. He felt a smile on his own face as he stared at this beautiful creature. She was running fingers through the hair of one of the horses that was white with brown spots and a brown mane. The horse was pushing his head into her hands.

"I knew they looked like they evolved from apes," Rachel whispered "but they are so much more elegant than I imagined."

Castiel nodded, still unable to pull his eyes away from the scene. He couldn't believe he listened to Uriel about them looking like goat/eagle/pig mixes.

Balthazar was gaping at the human and his eyes twinkled as he smiled "She is very nice looking," he said.

"Why do most angels dislike humans?" Castiel wondered out loud.

"I have no idea," Rachel said "I like the way they look."

Balthazar shrugged "She may look nice but you never know what she is like."

Castel and Rachel turned to him "What do you mean?"

Balthazar shrugged again "I heard that humans are ungrateful from everything Father has done for them."

Castiel stared back to that human and horse but this woman seemed to love his Father's creations. From the way she was staring at the horse like he was a prized and cherished creature. He didn't believe humans to be that bad.

"Hello?" the woman's voice suddenly called out.

Castiel felt his heart jump. Him, Rachel and Balthazar gasped as the woman started to run towards them.

"Go! Move!" Castiel hissed as he tried to run out the door that Balthazar and Rachel were blocking as they tried to scurry out. It was taking a moment as they all murmured in panicked sounds, feathers crushing between bodies as they tried to pile out the door at the same time.

"Hurry!" Castiel gasped, panic rising in him as the human was getting closer.

"Hello? Who are you?" the woman was calling, the voice coming closer.

Castiel's heart was hammering in his ribcage as he tried everything in his power to shove through the door. Balthazar and Rachel suddenly made it out the door, falling to the floor. Castiel jumped through the door as fast as he could, landing on top of the other two angels in the process as Balthazar used his free wing to slam the door shut behind Cas.

It became silent for a moment as the door vanished. They lay on the floor in a tangled pile of itchy and shedding feathers for a moment, panting from the earlier panic.

They then started to try and get up, letting out whimpers as they were trying and failing to untangle their wings. Castiel smacked away Balthazar's hand as he touched an ebony feather.

They heard a chuckling radiate the hall and the three of them turned to see Gabriel standing there, hunched over in laughter.

Castiel frowned, wondering why Gabriel always seemed to catch him in the worst situations. For a moment, the three smaller angels became deathly silent with the fear of getting in trouble.

Gabriel couldn't stop laughing at the scene in front of him. He had been watching them enter the heaven and knew how it would end. They had went running out of the door like they were being chased by cherubim…and from a human, who would probably just praise them. The sight in front of him now was worth the wait. The three angels tangled in a mess of shedding feathers and frightened eyes were too good to pass up. He laughed for another moment before snapping his fingers, freeing the mess.

"So what do you think of humans?" Gabriel asked once he calmed down and they stood up.

"Pretty," Rachel said.

"Okay I guess," Balthazar added.

"Scary," Castiel noted as he realized how afraid he had been of the woman coming close to her.

Gabriel took a deep breath to hold back another laughing fit. His stomach and lungs hurt enough as it was. He let out a couple of calming breaths before shaking his head "They are nothing to fear, Castiel," he said.

"I got afraid when she came running after me," Castiel admitted.

Gabriel chuckled lightly and turned his eyes to Rachel, who he heard earlier speaking about how she thought Castiel was 'lucky' to know him.

"You," he said and her eyes widened and she straightened up.

"Yes," she asked, her voice quiet and unsure.

"What is your name?" Gabriel asked, letting his wings sway lazily behind him.

"Rachel," she said immediately.

"Well Rachel, I would like to let you know that I am not, in fact, a person you want to be around," Gabriel stated "I am loud, annoying and obnoxious and I find amusement in picking on people."

Rachel just stared and nodded, still feeling strange in the presence of such power.

"It is true," Castiel said, staring down when Gabriel turned to him, amused.

"Well I think you three should best be getting back to your commons," Gabriel said with an arched eyebrow "You really aren't supposed to even know how to visit human souls yet," he added, glancing at Balthazar, who flushed and stared down.

The three angels nodded and spread theirs wings to take flight, each thinking about humans and how soon they would help care for them.

. . .

**Again, completely random chapter that came to me out of nowhere. Got a bunch more ideas up my sleeve as well. O.o**

**Please, reviews are lovely as always! :D**


	7. On Top of the World

**This was a request I had gotten. ^-^. So I hope it did it justice...I suppose you can call it hurt!Cas and protective!comfort!Gabriel**

**I would also like to apologize for taking sooooo long to update on this story. I sincerely apologize and I promise I will keep regularly updating again. =D…I kinda got wrapped up in my other story…my muse was mad at this one for some reason. So I apologize ahead of time if it isn't written as well as the other chapters. Trying to get out of the block.**

**Thank you again for the reviews/alerts. :D**

**Plot: ****Castiel wants to prove he is tough by flying the big track…it goes horribly wrong.**

. . .

**Chapter 7: On Top of the World:**

Castiel huffed out as he walked across the Heavens. He knew where he was heading…it was an edge by the clouds where the toughest angels could go to do flying lessons. Though he was not quite as old as the other angels who did this jump – actually, he was very much younger – he didn't care. He was going to prove to Anael and Afriel that he could do it. He was sick of being called a 'baby bird' by all of the older angels. He was tired of feeling so small. He was a soldier…he was a soldier of God and he was going to do this.

His stomach turned nervously as he began to teeter to one of the edges to the entire Heaven. The area appeared just like the other edges. It went from bright, green grass then formed into large, fluffy white clouds before ending up in the bright blue sky. The scent in this area was stronger than the other parts and he could almost feel the civilization of human inhabitants below. He did not want to Fall. He just wanted to fly around the hardest track in Heaven.

Around the edge were older angels…angels that were at least four hundred years older than him. The three of them turned to Castiel as he stomped over, his wings puffed out proudly and his eyes set to the sky ahead.

One of the angels was a girl with long, ebony hair and bright blue eyes. Her wings were pearly white with blue encrusted in the middle, looking much like sapphires engraved in the feathers; the second angel was a man with green eyes and short, dirty blonde hair. His wings were pearlescent like the girls but had emerald in his wings that matched his eyes. The third angel was standing close to the edge, on one of the clouds. He was tall with slightly long brown hair and eyes that were hazel-green. His wings were stretched out, revealing the colors of light blue and yellow…much like Balthazar's but brighter since he was older.

Castiel felt nervous as he sauntered closer. He had to do this…he was a soldier and he was going to prove that to everyone. The track wasn't even that bad. He could do it, he just knew it.

"What are you doing here, little one?" the female angel with black hair asked softly. She wasn't intending to upset Castiel but that was exactly what she did. Castiel glowered at her "I am not little," he said.

"Are you going to jump?" the male angel with longer hair asked. He smirked at Castiel and spread his wings before taking flight off of the cloud.

Castiel watched in amazement as those large wings flapped slowly and the angel spun in circles and flips through the air. He wanted to do that…It looked so easy and his wings were bigger than the others his age. He was going to do it.

The angel stopped and hovered in the air "Aw the little baby bird is ready to leave the nest!" he crooned like he was talking to a child.

Castiel puffed his feathers out more "I am not a baby!" he took a few steps closer to the cloud. He took a deep breath. He was going to do this. He had nice wings...they all said he was going to be important someday. What was this tiny little flight? He was strong like Gabriel…Gabriel would be able to fly it.

"Hey you really shouldn't do this," the male angel with the short hair said "That track is really tough. I can't even fly it," he was lying through his teeth but he didn't want to see the small angel fall and he knew that he wouldn't be able to catch him and pull him up on his own. He was still fairly new at the track.

"I'm not small anymore. I know I can do it," Castiel said defiantly, staring at the two angels still on land.

"What's your name?" the darker haired female angel asked. She was trying to draw out the situation in hopes to coax him away.

Castiel tilted his head and his wings twitched as he let them spread to their full extent.

"Your Castiel aren't you?" the longer haired male asked as his wings kept him steady in the air.

The two angels on land turned to the one in the sky when they heard the name 'Castiel'. They all knew who he was and what he would do one day but they knew for a fact that at his age, he would not know the details. He was too young to understand but they realized that this could be bad. If he fell, the archangels would get very upset.

"Castiel," the female angel said "Please, let me take you to the other track. It is much more fun and takes more experience than this one," she stood up and began to walk over to the angel with ebony wings.

Castiel backed up away from her, his sapphire eyes narrowing "I am not dumb…I have already done that track. This is the only one I haven't tried yet," he said.

She lifted her eyebrows in surprise. It was honestly hard to believe that an angel his age was able to do a track like that.

Castiel gave a nod to her and turned back to the edge. He grazed his eyes over the track that was several miles long with intricate twists and turns and dips and rises. He took a deep breath and let his wings stretch out to the sides of him as he positioned his feathers for flight.

"No!" the female angel shouted but Castiel ignored her and closed his eyes as he let his wings pump in a swift movement that sent him off of the edge and into the sky. His heart pounded for a moment before he let out his breath and opened his eyes. He beamed when he felt the wind brushing through his hair and feathers as he followed the path of the course. He giggled to himself as he made it through half of the track within seconds, his wings pumping mechanically without much thought.

He laughed some more as he began to do a flip through the air, his wings slapping together in the movement. He turned his eyes and his stomach turned slightly when he could no longer see the land. He darted his eyes ahead again to see a few more miles left of the track. He took a deep breath and pumped his wings harder and faster, gaining more speed and before he could realize it, he was past the marker where he was supposed to turn around and head back.

He stopped in the track and turned to head back. After a few moments, he suddenly felt a burning sensation pulsing through his feathers as his wings began to falter in flight. He felt his body lower drastically and his heart began to race in his chest. He closed his eyes as he tried to flap them some more but he felt another wave of pain before his head started to become light. He blinked rapidly, the clouds surrounding him obstructing all view.

He tried to pump his wings some more but they were burning too much and he realized he was lowering with each second. He let out a small whimper as he tried once more to move forward but that was when his wings fully gave out.

His heart began to race frantically in his chest as he felt the strange sensation of his body falling through the air. He let out a loud, hysterical cry as he tried to catch the air with his hands and wings but it was no use as his hair and wings whipped into his face, leaving large feathers to float through the air above him. He was Falling and there was nothing he could do about it.

. . .

"…so then I…" Gabriel went on as he was telling his story to about Mary to Michael. His stomach dropped and his heart jumped as he heard the shrieking cry of an angel falling…not just any angel but it was Castiel. He immediately leapt up to his feet and let all six of his wings unfurl and without another word, he darted at speed unknown to any of his kind, leaving Michael to stand in the field, alone with a baffled expression.

Gabriel let all six of his wings thrash and pump as fast as they possibly could as he raced forward to where he could feel Castiel's grace…which was slowly beginning to fade away. To the other angels he passed by, he was merely a shift in the wind as he panicked to save his little brother.

. . .

Castiel could feel his wings tearing apart as he barreled down to Earth. He could feel his grace searing inside of him and it was all he could do to clutch his stomach, trying to prepare to fall. He gasped when he suddenly felt a tug on his arm and before he could comprehend what happened, he was enveloped by the sweet and fresh scent of his older brother. He let out a whimper as he immediately clutched at Gabriel's shoulders. He quickly wrapped his arms around the archangel's neck and curled his body into his chest. He could feel Gabriel's arms and four of his six wings curl around him.

Gabriel's heart was pounding like a bat in a cage against his ribs as he clutched Castiel as close as he could. He could feel the small angel shake and sob into his chest and clench onto him as though he was going to disappear. Gabriel let four of his wings hold the smaller angel as he used his two free ones to pull them back onto land above. "It's okay Castiel," he whispered softly, giving him a reassuring squeeze "I have you…you're going to be alright." He felt a range of emotions bubbling through him in mixtures of fear, relief and anger. He didn't even know if he should be mad at his younger brother for trying to fly the course or just be relieved he came in time.

Castiel couldn't calm himself even as he heard Gabriel assure him he was going to be okay. All he could think about was how he almost fell. He almost became one of the hated Fallen just because he wanted to fly the big course. He felt another wave of trembles pulse through him and he let out another sob, feeling his face and Gabriel's shirt become soaked with tears.

He could feel as they landed but he didn't want to let go. He was so afraid…he just wanted to curl up in his brother's protective embrace forever.

Gabriel pulled the small angel into a tighter embrace for a moment as he let the relief dawn on him; he almost lost the sweet, innocent naïve little angel named Castiel. After a moment, he began to feel anger. He gently released the small angel and placed him onto the ground.

Castiel tried to grab at Gabriel again but he soon found his feet on the hard surface. He wobbled for a moment, his bones still feeling like jello from the feeling of falling through the sky. He turned up and his heart skipped a beat to see the anger in Gabriel's eyes.

"What on Earth were you thinking Castiel?" Gabriel asked, curling in four of his wings so only two were showing.

Castiel instinctively tried to curl his wings around him to hide but he found that they throbbed painfully from the loss of feathers.

"Castiel, look at me," Gabriel said when the small angel tried to stare down. He was then met by red and puffy blue eyes, still wet from tears.

"I-I wanted to prove I could fly the course," he said in a small, shaky voice.

"You are far too young for that," Gabriel said "Why did you feel like you had to do that?"

Castiel was about to stare back down but he kept eye contact, hating the look in those amber eyes. He took a deep breath "I was tired of being called small."

"You are young Castiel," Gabriel said in an exasperated tone "You realize if I hadn't caught you, you would have Fallen!"

Castiel shrunk back, staring down in shame "I'm sorry," he said "I just wanted to be strong."

Gabriel sighed and sat down on the grass. He patted the spot beside him and Castiel nervously took it. Gabriel let out another breath as he rubbed a hand down his face. He was just beginning to calm down.

Castiel didn't say a word but just stared at the grass. His heart was still frantic in his chest and it was a lost hope at calming it. He felt another tear slide down his face as they sat in silence for a moment. He turned his eyes to see Gabriel, who had his head bowed, face in hands and wings slumped into a pile on the grass around him. He rubbed his eyes for a moment before turning to Castiel.

Gabriel wanted to be mad and wanted to scream and shout at the young angel but he was just too relieved he came in time. In Heaven, the law was that _any_ angel that falls must be killed if seen again. He didn't want Castiel to ever be on that list.

"That was really stupid, Cas," he said.

Castiel felt his body relax slightly as Gabriel used a nickname on him. He knew that when the archangel would call him by his whole name, that he was angry…using a nickname meant Gabriel was less mad at him.

Castiel nodded "It was stupid," he said "I'm sorry…I promise I'll never try that again until I'm ready."

Gabriel sighed and wrapped an arm around the small angel, pulling him close. He smiled slightly when he felt Castiel cling onto him again, arms wrapped around his stomach and head on the side of his chest. He gently brushed his fingers through the damaged midnight wings that were battered with feathers missing as they splayed over Castiel's body.

Castiel shivered as he felt the slight, almost unnoticeable healing power coming from Gabriel as he brushed his wings. He began to relax into the elder angel.

"If you ever do that again, I will kick your butt," Gabriel said and he grinned when he heard a little giggle come from the little angel "I'm serious, Cassie. I almost lost you today."

Castiel nodded and turned big cerulean eyes to amber "Thank you for saving me."

Gabriel smiled and ruffled a hand through Castiel's dark hair. Castiel swatted at his hand, which made him grin but he eventually pulled his hand away. Instead, they just sat there in the field in silence. Castiel smiled as he felt the glorious golden wings curl around him. He was so happy to have such a great brother like Gabriel.

"No candy for you for a month, though," Gabriel said simply.

Castiel sat up and his eyes widened and his lower lip pushed out. Gabriel had to look away from the puppy dog eyes. He wasn't going to fall for it. He shook his head and turned back, using all of his willpower not to cave "That is your punishment," he said "It's not going to change," he said in a firm voice.

Castiel pouted again but nodded. He let Gabriel pull him back and he just curled up again, trying to shake the fear from his body. He didn't want to fly ever again…or at least not for a long time.

. . .

**Hope that was okay…I had a bit of a hard time getting it out because of my muse. But...yeah!**

**Please leave reviews and let me know what you thought.**

**Also…did anyone pick up on the faint familiarity in the descriptions of the two male angels earlier in the chapter. O.o**


	8. Destiny

**Oh and yes, that was Sam and Dean Descriptions as the other angels! Awesome job. I don't know who the female was…I made her up. Hehe.**

**. . .**

**I am so so sooo soo sorry for the long wait on an update. For some reason, my muse has been really dark lately and I've been tempted to write bloody, gorey, sad and tragic things and none of those things apply to this fic in particular. Lol. **

**I know the way I've been writing this fic doesn't fit with the time Gabriel left but just go with it. Hehe. Just pretend Gabriel left a while after Lucifer was thrown into the Pit. (I'll be getting to that chapter soon. :'(.) **

**. . .**

**Plot: Castiel learns about his Destiny and asks Michael and Gabriel to change it…**

**. . .**

**Chapter 8: Destiny:**

"Castiel, are you excited?" Balthazar asked and Castiel turned his eyes to the other angel. It had been a while since they had a major 'lesson' like this. Every other day, the angels were taking more flying courses and learning about prayers. Castiel had learned that his name is not prayed to as much as the others and that reason was not explained entirely to him. All he was told was that when the time came, he would need to focus his attention on one particular human.

Balthazar made it over to Castiel and smiled. Castiel let his eyes roam over the other angel. His wings were becoming so beautiful. They had almost shed off all of his young downy feathers and were replaced by larger and longer, deep blues and yellows. His grace was swelling in size just like all of the other angels.

"Of course I'm excited," Castiel said with a smile.

"So am I," Balthazar said, taking a seat beside Castiel, who was perched upon a large stone in the field. His wings fluttered and his feathers poked at Castiel's playfully.

Castiel laughed as his long, deep ebony wings shook. He watched as a stray down feather floated to the grass in front of him. It was kind of long and had streaks of blue through it.

Balthazar grabbed the feather and held it up "Still shedding?" he asked, inspecting the feather as though it were a complicated puzzle.

Castiel felt his cheeks redden slightly. His wings may have been larger than all of the others but they were taking much longer to lose all of the down. Gabriel had said it was because they were bigger to begin with and that he would shed feathers twice considering they needed to be twice as powerful. He let out a laugh when he felt something light run up his cheek and he turned to see Balthazar tickling him with the feather.

"Stop," Castiel said through a laugh as he tried to bat the other angel's hand away. Balthazar laughed some more when a couple more feathers began to float through the air. He grabbed them from the air and began to run them over Castel's neck.

"Balthazar…" Castiel breathed, trying not to laugh "I'm going to get in trouble. Zachariah is cranky today."

"Oh who cares about that featherbrain," Balthazar said as he leaned over Castiel to tickle more feathers across his face.

Castiel sucked in a breath and his wings shot out and twitched as he held back the unbelievable desire to laugh out as the feathers trickled across his cheeks.

Balthazar grinned as he moved one of his hands over to Castiel's deep dark wings when he noticed the feathers weren't working. He slowly pushed two fingers in the feathers close to the arch and that's when Castiel let out a long hard laugh and his wings trashed wildly.

"Please stop," Castiel said through giggles as he tried to push him off.

A clearing of throat interrupted the small angels and Balthazar quickly let go of Castiel's wings. They both immediately stood up straight, wings tucked back and eyes staring straight ahead to Zachariah, who had his arms crossed and an un-amused look on his face.

"If you two are done being children, I suggest you join the others," Zachariah said firmly, his eyes set on Castiel, whose cheeks reddened. He had the urge to look away but they learned to never take their eyes off of a superior.

Castiel and Balthazar nodded and turned to realize all of the other angels were standing in straight lines, staring back at them. Castiel's cheeks reddened some more as he and Balthazar scuttled to their places. While Castiel was in the middle row, Balthazar stood just behind him; he was taller.

"Hi Castiel," Rachel hissed to the side of him as she beamed.

Castiel smiled at her "Hello," he whispered.

"Now you all know that today we will speak to you all about Destiny and Fate," Zachariah said as he walked to the front of the angels.

It was silent and Castiel felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety roll through him. He wanted to know why he was special but he was also worried that it might be a task he wouldn't be capable of.

A tension rolled through the other angels as Archangel Gabriel flew onto the field. He gave the young angels a look-over before making his way over to Zachariah, who immediately tensed for a moment before turning full attention to the archangel.

Castiel had the urge to speak out to Gabriel. He hadn't seen him in months and he honestly missed him being around the elder angel. He just made Castiel relax and feel happy.

There was a quiet murmuring from group when Gabriel whispered into Zachariah's ear and both of their eyes turned to the crowd. Castiel immediately stared down when he noticed their eyes set on him before back to each other.

"Castiel," Zachariah's voice sounded loudly. It seemed to be sympathetic for a moment and that worried Castiel even more.

Castiel immediately felt the other angels' eyes on him as he lifted his gaze to the elder angels in the front. He took a deep breath "Yes Zachariah?" he asked, his voice with a slight tremor. Was he in trouble? He was worried that maybe his laughing earlier was going to get him in trouble.

"You need to go with Gabriel," Zachariah said, waving a hand to beckon him forward.

Castiel felt his grace clench and his cheeks reddened some more as he slowly trailed his way through the staring angels until he reached the front. He turned his eyes to Gabriel, who had a smile on his face.

"Come on Cassie," he said quickly before spreading his wings.

Castiel followed his movements and spread out his own itching wings. He took a deep breath before soaring up into the air with Gabriel. He did not look back to the other angels as he followed the Gabriel out of the training area. They flew for what felt like a while but Castiel's wings were becoming strong and the flight felt like nothing to him. He gazed at Gabriel's huge, golden wings as they glimmered in the lights from the different Heavens they passed through. Soon they were landing at large, golden double doors and Castiel recognized it from the day him and Balthazar had been brought to one of the throne rooms. He felt his grace clench more in worry…he was in trouble.

"Don't be so scared, Cassie," Gabriel said, lowering his wings and opening the doors.

Castiel nodded and it felt like there was a lump in his throat as he followed Gabriel soundlessly. He was learning not to ask questions and to strictly follow every order given to him.

"Just sit over there," Gabriel said, pointing to where a small and comfortable looking couch appeared out of nowhere. It was dark green and plush with brown pillows. He nodded and walked over to it, sitting down without a word. He turned his eyes to see Gabriel walking to the other end of the room and through a door.

Castiel took a deep, calming breath as he sat alone in the large and white room. He had no idea what was going on and somehow that just made him all the more nervous. A moment later, Gabriel walked back through the door with Archangel Michael and Castiel instantly felt an entire new wave of fear seep through him when his eyes set on the two of them. Now he knew for a fact that something major was happening.

They were speaking silently as they walked over and Castiel couldn't hear them. He could see Michael's feathers twitching as though he were worried before they reached him. Gabriel snapped his fingers and created another couch opposite Castiel. He immediately lounged on it and sunk into the material. Michael hesitated before curling his wings back and sitting stiffly at the edge.

"May I ask what is happening?" Castiel questioned, feeling nervous. He wasn't supposed to question anything.

"I was wondering when you were going to," Gabriel said with a smirk "Kind of surprised me with your silence."

Castiel gave a partial smile and his grace twisted as he stared at them.

"We are here to talk to you about your future," Michael said.

"Fate…Destiny…all the good stuff," Gabriel added cheerfully. He was trying to stay upbeat, knowing what they were about to say would frighten poor Castiel.

"May I ask something?" Castiel asked, feeling nervous.

Gabriel sighed "What happened to the little angel who used to just burst out with questions?" he hated how Castiel was already becoming an emotionless soldier "Ask away."

Castiel gave another tight smile "Why am I not learning with the other angels?" he asked.

It was silent for a moment and Castiel noticed Michael just staring down. Gabriel turned to him then sighed and turned back to Castiel "Your future will be much different," he said.

"You are a key piece in the future war," Michael said, turning his eyes to Castiel. His silvery blue wings were twitching slightly.

"What do you mean?" Castiel asked "Are you talking about the war with Lucifer?"

There was a long moment of silence where Michael's eyes widened at Castiel "How do you know about that already?"

"I have just heard some angels speaking about it," Castiel said, feeling worried that he was going to get in trouble for knowing that information. He didn't hear much but there was some talk.

"What do you know about it?" Gabriel asked, wondering who in Heaven would have spoken about it in front of young angels. He wanted to do some good punishment on whoever it was.

"I…" Castiel started. He turned his eyes away from Michael, who was watching him warily.

"You?" Gabriel urged him to continue.

"I…I heard that Michael is going to fight Lucifer…and kill him," Castiel said quietly, making sure not to meet Michael's gaze.

Michael arched an eyebrow at Gabriel. He was honestly surprised this young angel knew that. Gabriel nodded "What else do you know about it?" he asked.

Castiel felt his stomach drop with the realization at what he said was true. Michael was really going to kill Lucifer. Somehow, that thought made his grace feel cold. He wondered how Michael would be able to kill his own brother. He didn't remember Lucifer that well. Castiel had been so young he didn't even have his wings when Lucifer fell. He did recall a few times when he would hear or rather _feel_ Michael and Lucifer fighting through Heaven. It had been loud and powerful and scared him and the other angels outright. Then again, he heard many stories about Lucifer…he was the most loved archangel before he fell. He was the most glorious and he used to sing so loud yet so peacefully and all of the angels would hear him. Castiel vaguely remembered his soothing songs when Lucifer would fly over the youngest angels.

"Castiel…Gabriel asked you a question," Michael said after Castiel's silence.

Gabriel shot Michael an annoyed look before turning back to the young angel who looked really upset.

"That is all I know," Castiel said slowly, meeting Michael's gaze. He felt his stomach turn at the way those eyes held pain.

Gabriel nodded "Well Castiel," he said "You are very important to the war."

Castiel took a deep breath and nodded slowly "How so?"

"You will be retrieving the Righteous Soul from Perdition," Michael said slowly.

Castiel instantly felt a way of fear "P-perdition?" he asked "Like…Hell?"

Michael nodded and Castiel instantly felt a wave of fear so powerful that it physically pained him "No…no, that has to be a mistake."

"No Castiel, it is not," Michael said "Aren't you curious as to why your wings are so different than any other angel?"

Castiel visibly shook with the new knowledge. He had known they were different and he knew he was important in the future but he really did not expect this. Yeah, a few other angels had told him he would be going to Hell but he thought they were just being mean. He did not believe it was a fact.

"Michael," Gabriel said, clenching his teeth and glaring at his brother "Give him a moment to take it in."

Castiel turned wide, fearful eyes to Gabriel "Please, I can't do it…I can't go to…Hell," he whispered the last word, a wave of chills shooting through him.

Gabriel felt a lump in his throat and he took a deep breath "Castiel…" he said "You are meant to do this. You will be the only angel strong enough to do it."

Castiel felt his lip quivering and he shook his head. He turned his eyes to Michael, who seemed more still than usual "Why? Why do I have to do this?"

"The Righteous Soul who sheds blood in Hell is very important," Michael said "that is the way we will win the war. Castiel, this is very important and you are the one who will do it."

Castiel shook "I don't want to go to Hell," he said "Please, someone else has to do it."

Michael stared down "Nobody else can do it. It is your destiny, Castiel. You _will_ do this," those last words were firm.

Castiel felt his wings shaking behind him and he felt his eyes stinging with the knowledge. He did not want to go to Hell. It was such a horrible place and it was filled with demons; demons who hated angels. A dark and evil place that is not meant for anything pure…like an angel.

Castiel turned wide eyes to them "Please…please is there any way to change it…I can't go to Hell."

"You can't change fate, Castiel," Michael said "it is written in stone. It will happen…you will dive into Hell and pull the Righteous Soul out."

"Michael," Gabriel said, glowering at his brother "Leave. I will talk to Castiel."

Michael set dark eyes on him. He felt bad for scaring Castiel like that but he had no idea what else to say. He decided being strict about it would be their best option. He stared at Gabriel for a moment before nodding. He disappeared before Castiel could ask another question he wouldn't be able to answer.

Gabriel turned to Castiel, whose wings and body were shaking with fear. His bright, sapphire eyes were glistening with unshed tears and his lip quivered. His eyes were set on the floor as he blinked rapidly. Gabriel took a deep breath and gently stood up to sit beside Castiel.

Castiel immediately felt a little better when he felt Gabriel's warm and welcoming presence beside him. Before he could think it over, he turned and clutched his arms and wings around Gabriel, trying to absorb his warmth.

Gabriel lifted his eyebrows in surprise as Castiel latched onto him. He was still not used to being touched but it was really refreshing. He could literally feel the waves of fear and sadness rolling off of the small angel. He took a deep breath and closed his arms around the small, shivering angel. He shut his eyes and sent off of soothing grace, trying to calm Castiel down. He felt his grace turn when the small angel climbed closer to him, trying to gather more comfort and Gabriel smiled slightly. He let his wings curl around the angel like a blanket as he held him.

After a moment, Castiel spoke, his voice a whisper "Please…can you please change my fate?" he asked.

Gabriel felt his grace twist as he ran a soothing hand over Castiel's wings "You cannot change your destiny, Castiel," he whispered "Do not fear it…you will grow to be a strong and powerful soldier…you will pull the Righteous Soul from perdition; you will help in saving Paradise."

"I can really help?" Castiel asked, staring up with big, blue eyes.

Gabriel smiled softly "It cannot happen without you," he said.

Castiel nodded, suddenly feeling somewhat better "Will you be there?" he asked.

Gabriel hesitated for a moment "I'll always be there," he said, knowing it was the truth. Even if Castiel couldn't see him, he would always be there.

Castiel curled closer to Gabriel, relaxing as some of his warm grace soothed him. He could feel his shaking stop as the archangel whispered to him. The idea of helping Heaven was a major part in calming him down as well as the knowledge that Gabriel wouldn't leave him alone. It was silent for a while as Gabriel began to hum softly, running his hand through Castiel's wings. Castiel wanted to stay like this forever. He didn't want to have to go to Hell…but he would. He would be strong like Gabriel. He let his eyes close as he relaxed in the archangel's arms and wings.

. . .

**I hope I wrote that alright. Like I said, my muse only wants to write dark stuff. Please leave feedback. **

**I'll sadly be writing the chapter when Gabriel leaves soon. :,(. Please review. **


	9. Azire

**Oh my gosh I am so sorry I haven't updated this story in forever! I honestly was so wrapped up in The Feather Effect stuff that I haven't had the time. This is one of the last two more definite chapters but there may be a few more depending on if there are enough people who would want to read the ideas. I'll write the ideas when the time comes. **

**But here is one more chapter filled with a mixture of fluff and angst. Please enjoy and thank you all so much for the support. You are all truly inspiring. **

**. . .**

**Chapter 9: Azire:**

Gabriel awoke from his 'angel-slumber' to the roaring of thunder and the flashes of lightning. The Heavens seemed to shake and quake as a fight erupted from the room where he lay. He could hear the angels' shouts as clear as day and it made his grace coil within itself with the memories of the day Lucifer was thrown into the Pit.

He slowly climbed to his feet and stretched, allowing his wings to spread wide, the bones in the appendages cracking pleasingly and the feathers flaring. He shook himself and blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the scene around him.

He was in one of the Throne Rooms…the one for archangels where they were to relax and watch over the rest of Heaven. Usually, the room would be filled with the brilliant white-blue light of Michael and the soft green light of Raphael mixed in with the most stunning light that had been Lucifer…until Lucifer was cast down. At the moment, Michael's light was crackling with electrical energy and blue flames that seemed to engulf all around them. Raphael's light was darkening like a blanket of soil was being thrown over a white floor. His wings were filled with electricity, causing the lightning to crack down upon the usually white floor. Michael's wings were flared wide, thrashing as he shouted obscenities at Raphael, who shouted right back.

Gabriel felt a part of him become hallow as he watched his brother's fighting. He just couldn't take it anymore. First Lucifer and now Raphael and Michael were fighting...Gabriel was losing every motive he had for being an angel. He could feel his warm, sun-tickled golden grace stream through the darkened room that looked more like a small battlefield in a midnight lightning storm. He thrashed his wings and shot up in the air, letting them guide him to where Michael was throwing Raphael into the ground with a sickening bang.

Gabriel's warmth seemed to startle Michael. He had lost his hold on Raphael and was shoved back. Gabriel grunted as Michael's weight crashed into him, causing him to stumble in mid-air. He held Michael close, trying to let his warm grace sooth the elder archangel but Michael fought it and thrashed away.

"What are you doing, Gabriel?" Raphael asked as he stopped a good space away from Michael.

"This fighting needs to stop!" Gabriel shouted "We are brothers. We should not be doing this."

Michael's expression was stone cold and Raphael's was blank and void of emotion.

"This does not concern you," Raphael said slowly.

Gabriel was losing it. He felt as his grace began to swell and burn fiery hot…not warm like sunlight but more like the sun itself burning a hole into the room "Lucifer was not my fight, either but I still lost a brother that day."

Michael's eyes turned pained for a moment as he didn't say anything. Raphael was silent for a moment "Lucifer is no brother of ours."

Gabriel clenched his fists, sending a wave of fire at Raphael, who just barely dodged it. His eyes lit with fury as he threw electricity to Gabriel, who was hit full force. Gabriel winced when he felt his body ignite with agony as he smashed onto the floor, wings crumpling beneath him.

He was done…no more of this fighting. He couldn't stand it. Without another word, he gave each of his brothers a harsh look before leaving the room. It pained him to think it would be the last time he saw them but if all they were going to do was fight then he would have no part of it.

. . .

Castiel stared with wide eyes as the Heaven he was in began to fill with dark clouds. He had no idea where they were coming from but it was frightening and it had a terrible effect on his grace, which began to feel cold as though something bad was going to happen. He found himself curling up beneath a tree, using his wings to shield himself from the hail that began to pelt to the grass around him.

For a few minutes, he remained that way until the hail stopped and he started to feel warmth over his grace like sunlight on skin. He smiled when he recognized the grace it belonged to. He would never forget the way Gabriel could enlighten an entire Heaven with just his presence. He unfurled his wings and stood up to see the archangel walking over with a beaming smile on his face.

He tilted his head slightly when he noticed Gabriel holding something in his arms. It was small and white.

"Cassie!" Gabriel called as he walked over. He was trying everything in his power to act as normal as possible. He knew this was the last time he could see Castiel for a while. He figured he would give the angel a gift before he left.

Castiel seemed wary of the thing in Gabriel's arms. Castiel eyed the object once Gabriel was right in front of him. He tilted his head more to realize it was a living creature. It was small and covered in what looked an extremely soft and thick coat. Small, triangular ears were perked up. One was straight up while the other was bent slightly on top, falling over the rest of the ear. Huge and round, gleaming honey eyes gazed up at Castiel.

Gabriel smirked at Castiel's reaction. So he held the little hound out, watching the young angel's reaction more.

Castiel lifted his eyebrows when he could see the rest of the body. It was somewhat long and had four little legs with paws that seemed much too large for its body…he realized what this creature looked like. He had seen something similar and the creature was called a 'wolf' though this was different in so many ways. A fluffy white tail was dangling down, swinging from side to side so fast, Castiel could almost not see it. Its snout was long with a little pink nose with brown spots on it. A pink tongue lolled out the side of its mouth.

What made this creature so much more different than a wolf was the set of wings that were protruding from its back. The wings were mostly pure white and meshed from the texture of the fur into feathers as they went on. Deep, dark ebony was smeared and spotted from the tips of the feathers, graying on their way up into the down feathers.

Gabriel smiled at the amazement in Castiel's big, blue eyes. He held the hound out more towards the angel, who backed up slightly, feathers twitching.

"What is that?" Castiel asked, his voice filled with awe.

Gabriel sighed "Hold him," he said.

Castiel hesitated but wouldn't go against an order from an archangel. Gabriel or not, he knew that if he was told to do something, he was to do it. So he gently took the creature into his arms. He couldn't help the smile that broke across his face as the little pink tongue began to lap around his cheek and the wings began to shake and thrash excitedly.

"That is a new creature to heaven. I managed to get you one," Gabriel said, smiling as the hound tried to climb up Castiel's face.

Castiel let out a laugh as he managed to pry the hound into his arms to stop it from attacking his face with affection.

"It looks like a wolf…but so much softer and smaller," Castiel said.

"His name is Azire," Gabriel noted.

"Azire?" Castiel repeated, earning more thumping of the tail "So he is like a wolf…but smaller and with wings?"

Gabriel sighed "I guess you can say that. As you know…Hell has their hounds."

Castiel shuddered at the memory. He had to practice combat against a Hellhound. He was terrified of the creature and never wanted to see one ever again. He took a deep breath though and stared at the creature in his arms "This is like the hound of heaven?" he asked.

Gabriel nodded "Yes. First litter of them; I saw him and thought of you. None of the other pups would play with him because of the color in his wings."

Castiel ran a hand through the feathers of the 'pup' as Gabriel called it. Azire let out a groan noise and stretched his wings.

"He needs a good owner," Gabriel said "I think you would do amazing."

Castiel smiled as he allowed his hand to soothe Azire. He turned back to Gabriel "Thank you but…I don't understand. Why are you giving him to me? Why don't you keep him?"

Gabriel felt his grace turn cold for a moment but he waved it off and remained passive "I wanted you to have him."

Castiel smiled brightly "I will take care of him, Gabriel," he said "I promise."

Gabriel smiled "Good," he said "Now…there are some things you need to know about…" the hounds didn't have a name yet. He had to make one up "Cheruhounds."

"Cheruhounds?" Castiel asked with a tilt of head.

"Serahound sound better?" Gabriel questioned.

Castiel just stared at him "I don't understand," he admitted.

Gabriel laughed. He was going to miss the naïve angel. He tried to remain happy but the idea of leaving heaven and all of its occupants was becoming a burden on him. For as naïve as he thought Castiel was, he was surprised by the next words from the observant little angel.

"You are upset about something. What is happening, Gabriel? Everything was dark before you just showed up. Is Michael fighting again?" Castiel asked, curiosity clear in his voice.

Gabriel just stared at him "Everything is fine. Just a little brotherly argument between Raphael and Michael…but it's fine," he said smoothly, not missing a beat. Castiel observed him with those scrutinizing blue eyes once more before nodding. He wasn't reassured, Gabriel could see that but he was thankful the young angel was willing to let it drop.

"So what does Azire eat? Or does he eat?" Castiel asked, petting the pup some more.

Gabriel smiled "He doesn't need to eat, technically but these little guys love bacon."

Castiel knit his eyebrows "What is bacon?" he asked.

"It comes from pigs," Gabriel said, creating a piece of bacon.

Castiel stared at it and his nose wrinkled "It looks nasty."

Gabriel looked offended as he lifted the greasy pinkish-red, crispy meat. He held it out and Azire went crazy in Castiel's arms. The wings fluttered and paws pushed until he jumped from the small angel's arms. He then pounced at the bacon, which Gabriel handed right over. Azire chewed it up with a swinging tail.

"Where would I get bacon?" Castiel asked, smiling at the joy in the pup.

Gabriel pursed his lips and shrugged "you'll find some. I know you will."

Castiel nodded but he could still sense something off about the archangel and it had him worried. He wouldn't speak about it though. Gabriel's closest brothers were fighting so Castiel could understand if he wasn't as happy as usual.

Gabriel sighed when he could feel the presence of Michael looming closer. He needed to leave before his brother managed to convince him to stay.

Castiel watched the elder angel but didn't say anything as those amber-gold eyes hinted at worry.

"I have to go for now," Gabriel said, standing up.

Castel nodded and stood up as well, lifting Azire into his arms in the process. The pup snuggled up to him.

Gabriel couldn't help but pull Castiel into a hug. He held him for a moment. He would make sure to keep an eye on Castiel in the future. When the day would come that he would go to Hell to save the Righteous Soul…he would be there for him even if he wasn't technically there.

"Thank you for Azire," Castiel said when Gabriel pulled away.

Gabriel smiled "Thought you would like him."

"I do," Castiel said, pressing his cheek against the soft fur.

"Bye Castiel," Gabriel said before letting his wings unfurl. He then took off before he could stop himself from doing so. He was on his way to Earth to live hidden amongst the humans. He would see Castiel again one day…he just hoped the little angel wouldn't end up as nothing but an emotionless warrior like the rest of the angels.

. . .

Gabriel was gone. Castiel had heard it spoken several times already in the past few months but he still couldn't wrap his mind around it. He had thought it was just something everyone would say…an untrue statement. He hadn't seen Gabriel since that day though and he hadn't felt the warmth of his grace anywhere in Heaven.

He frowned as he turned to Azire, who was running about the Heaven, chasing birds and letting out a strange, grumbling noise as he did it. Castiel should have gone with his instincts. He knew something was bothering Gabriel that day. Now Gabriel left him and he would never see his brother again. He felt the pain in his grace but pushed it off.

If Gabriel was just going to leave like that than he was just like all of the other angels; none of them really cared about each other. All they did was fight and be emotionless. That was what he was taught and that was what he would believe in. From that day forward, he wasn't going to get attached to any other angel. He didn't want to deal with losing someone again.

With a deep breath, he pushed back all thoughts and worries. He gave Azire a pat on the furry head, which Azire returned with a rumbling noise and thumping tail. Azire was all that Castiel had left and he would make sure to take care of the little angel-wolf.

"I'll be back after my lessons," Castiel said to the pup, which lapped at his face in response.

Castiel smiled once more before spreading his wings and flying to his next training lesson.

. . .

**Sorry this was so short but I wanted to get out a chapter since it's been so long. I hope it turned out alright. Please let me know what you think. Feedback is always amazing to read.**

**Also…I can't think of a name for the heaven-hounds…any ideas?**


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